ZiS-154 - the first domestic car with a hybrid engine

December 8, 1946 was tested the first domestic bus ZiS-154, which had a wagon configuration. And it was not his only feature. The new bus became the first Soviet car with a hybrid power unit. That is, it implemented a sequential scheme. In it, the internal combustion engine rotated the generator, which, in turn, was powered by electric motors, which transmit the torque to the driving wheels.

Beginning and prototypes

Work on the project began in early spring of 1946. By May of the same year, a specialized KB bus was organized at ZiS, which was engaged in the construction of a new machine. The head of the bureau was AI Skerdzhiev. It should be noted that the design of the bus was not created from scratch. The prototypes of the new model were American GMC and Mack. It was these machines that had a wagon configuration and a body made of aluminum alloy, which was subsequently used in the design of the ZiS-154 body.

The engine of the new car also did not differ in originality. Two-stroke power unit, capacity of 110 liters. from. (YaAZ-204D), in its essence was a "pirated" copy of the American engine from GMC. The buses of Moscow were to take in their ranks a new car for the 800th anniversary of the capital of the USSR. Therefore, in order to avoid unforeseen situations during the celebration of the anniversary, on the first released 45 "exemplary" copies of the ZiS, the domestic power unit was replaced with the GMC-4-71 diesel engine, received back in the war years from the Lend-Lease allies.

Bus of aluminum

Since ZiS previously never produced cars with all-metal bearing bodies, it was decided to involve specialists in the Tushinsky aircraft plant in the design of the bus. As a result of the joint work of the two design bureaus, a bearing body was created, the design of which was a set of several similar sections, consisting of frames cast from steel and aluminum profiles. Also, the design of the ZiS-154 body was decided to unify with the bodies of the MTB-82B trolley bus and the MTV-82 tram. The only difference was that for these types of transport, it was not made by carriers.

Bus Transmission

The power unit was located transversely in the rear overhang of the bus, under a five-seater sofa. The diesel YAZ-204D was connected to a power generator, which supplies a direct current to the electric motor, which transmitted the rotation to the rear driving axle through the cardan. Changing the direction of travel (forward-backward) was carried out with the help of a switch located near the driver's seat. Switching was allowed only after a bus stop.

The magnitude of the necessary tractive effort was automatically regulated, which was an undoubted advantage of the electric transmission. In this regard, the driver's work has been greatly facilitated. There was no need to change the gears, respectively, and squeeze the clutch pedal, which in urban conditions was not unimportant. However, such convenience required accurate and, most importantly, qualified maintenance of the unit, which, naturally, was a big problem at that time due to the novelty of the system and the lack of specialists capable of repairing.

In addition, the energy transferred from the ICE, while reaching the wheels, underwent a double conversion with a significant loss of efficiency. And this led to a large fuel consumption (65 liters per 100 km). Nevertheless, the new ZIS went into the series. By the beginning of July, Moscow buses had accepted the first 7 cars produced by the plant. And on September 7, the fleet was replenished by another 25 units.

To the joy of passengers

The design of the bus in terms of the convenience of the passengers turned out to be quite successful. The salon was designed for 60 seats, among them - 34 sitting. The seats were covered with dermantin or plush. For the winter, the ZiS-154 was equipped with a good heating system, and for the summer - with ventilation. Comfort and soft suspension added. The bus smoothly dispersed, moved evenly, which in comparison with the previous models was just a car miracle. Nevertheless, in the course of operation, a significant drawback was revealed, which ultimately led to the removal of the machine from production.

The big problem with the new bus

The whole problem of the ZiS-154 was the engine. In addition to the high fuel consumption, the YaAZ-204D was very noisy. At the same time, he still mercilessly smelled of black exhaust. But even this was not the worst thing. Periodically, the diesel engine of the bus, as they say, "went to races," that is, independently and uncontrollably increased the speed. To stop it, the driver had to close the fuel line. And if you remember that the engine was in the back of the car, then it really was a serious problem.

"Spread" has become a real scourge ZiS-154. Even in the instructions for safe operation of the bus, the driver was instructed to stop the bus with a hand and foot brake. Then he had to ask the conductor or one of the passengers to continue braking, and immediately go to the engine compartment and turn off the fuel line, thereby interrupting the supply of fuel to the injectors of the engine. Eliminate this failure at the plant could not, because they did not know exactly the main cause of the phenomenon.

Therefore, already in 1950, that is, three years after the start of production, the mass production of ZiS-154 was completely discontinued. Nevertheless, during this time the plant managed to produce 1165 "miracle-buses", from which bus fleets tried to get rid of all the truths and crooks. Of course, although the bus was an innovation for its time, but very unsuccessful, and therefore not further developed.