Israel-based Electric Fuel Corporation announced that the first set of test drives under its Phase 2 contract with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the development and evaluation of a zinc-air electric transit bus will begin this month at a test track in New York State. So reports the Bi-Weekly Economic Update. The Company also said that it expects to demonstrate the bus in its first on-road demonstration drives in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this year. Following those drives, the bus is to be further upgraded by the integration of ultra-capacitors in the electric drivetrain, which is intended to improve performance, efficiency and cost of operation. Electric Fuel said that the test-track drives are scheduled to continue at least until the end of the summer, and will concentrate on evaluating the operating performance of the full-length, 40-foot, battery-battery hybrid electric transit bus developed and integrated under a previous contract covering Phase 1 of the program. During the course of the testing this summer, the Company hopes to show that the bus meets all requirements for a transit bus, including range, acceleration, and the ability to operate with power-consuming equipment such as air conditioning. Electric Fuel Corporation has manufacturing and research and development facilities in Israel and Alabama - and has made pioneering advancements in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and defense and safety products.