STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

A 40-foot heavy duty EBus made the rounds from Ketchum to Bellevue and back Friday morning.

New Flyer brought the zero emission battery-operated bus to town Thursday and Friday in hopes that it might sell Mountain Rides on the bus.

“It’s really quiet. You don’t hear anything,” said Carlos Tellez, Mountain Rides’ mechanic, noting the lack of a traditional internal combustion engine.

The XcelsiorCHARGE bus comes with a promise of zero emissions and lower operating costs. It has regenerating braking while decelerating, which recharges the batteries, reducing energy consumption and extending range.

It has a range of up to 260 miles on a single charge with an on-route rapid charger that provides unlimited range and a means to stay in service 24 hours a day.

With no engine, transmission, intake or exhaust, customers can save up to $125,000 in maintenance cost over the 12-year life of the bus, the company’s representatives say. There are fewer belts, fewer filters and less fluids to take care of.

The 11-foot tall bus carries 40 passengers, allowing for two wheelchairs. It weighs 30,500 pounds.

Inside, it’s the same as Mountain Rides’ other buses.

Tellez said an electrical bus could mean less maintenance work for someone like him, given the fact it doesn’t have an engine.

“But you’re always going to have the possibility of an axle or anything else that could go wrong, so it’s not entirely maintenance free,” he said.