Some of the descendents of the family that founded Fisher Body Co. are returning to their roots with Fisher Coachworks LLC, a company formed earlier this year to become a manufacturer of electric-drive buses.
Hoping to be half the weight of the modern bus and running on an electric engine whose batteries will charge up through a diesel generator. When production begins they will face several established competitors. Such as Daimler Buses North America Inc. of Greensboro, North Carolina, and GM-Allison. Both are already producing buses with hybrid systems.
Daimler Buses began developing its hybrid bus, the Orion diesel-electric hybrid, in 1996 and commands about 60% of the hybrid market. So far, Daimler has delivered 1,300 units and has orders for 1,500 more.
GM-Allison announced that it delivered its 1,000th bus powered by the GM-Allison hybrid system. GM-Allison's clean hybrid technology is licensed by General Motors to Allison Transmission, which manufactures and sells the hybrid transmission for a bus built by North American Bus Industries Inc. of Anniston, Alabama. A tough road in what is already a tough business.
They would like to locate in Michigan, but would consider Tennessee and California. Gregory Fisher, CEO and chairman of Fisher Coachworks is the grandson of Alfred J. Fisher, one of the original Fisher brothers who on July 22, 1908, formed the Fisher Body Co.
