The electric age is afoot. Bmw and Schrem put the first 40 ton truck into action.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

A Canadian transit bus manufacturer is prototyping electric transit buses.

One concept has about hundred kilometers of range and a 4 hour recharge. For the transit industry that will fit with a morning and afternoon run to cover the peaks

The other concept is for the bus to drive 45 minutes and linger for 10 minutes which would allow the charging system to" top up " and run all day

If one where to incorporate a fast recharge to that electric truck... It could be very productive on a specifically scheduled route

You'd have to have 1/3 more buses and drivers to account for that idle time. I can't see how that would be cost effective. Transit isn't exactly flush with cash.

[Sr. Mints]

I will only form an opinion after Jean Claude Van Damme does the splits across two of them on the highway.

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by blankall

You'd have to have 1/3 more buses and drivers to account for that idle time. I can't see how that would be cost effective. Transit isn't exactly flush with cash.

50% of transit deals with peak rush. They don't run all the buses all day. most transit drivers do a morning route and and afternoon route.

There is plenty of time to recharge

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

50% of transit deals with peak rush. They don't run all the buses all day. most transit drivers do a morning route and and afternoon route.

There is plenty of time to recharge

How exactly is buying a new fleet of buses saving money?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

How exactly is buying a new fleet of buses saving money?

Not paying for gas or maintenance would help, though more expensive maintenance for the fewer times you need it.

Overall the buses will need to be replaced at some point, they all do. It's more about the environmental impact

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by polak

Until an EV can drive a route similar to Calgary to Vancouver in a normal 10-12 hour time frame, it's nothing more than a gimmick.

I'd have to think that 80% of people in Calgary do not make that drive more than once a year if even that.

If you look at the places the bulk of North Americans live, ie. North East and mid Atlantic states and I know very few people who ever drive more than 5 hours to go anywhere.

Even still, a well timed lunch break for a charge doesn't really add much time to the trip.

[para transit fellow]

Article on Winnipeg transit testing out electric buses in Dec 2014. Has some numbers on the operational savings.


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...284125961.html

[Street Pharmacist]

??? And there's already an EV that could go from Vancouver to Calgary in the same time as a gas powered one

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

??? And there's already an EV that could go from Vancouver to Calgary in the same time as a gas powered one

Which one? the longest range im aware of is around 400kms, the drive from Vancouver to Calgary is over 1000.

[You Need a Thneed]

Tesla Model S - there are supercharging stations all along the route.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Which one? the longest range im aware of is around 400kms, the drive from Vancouver to Calgary is over 1000.

Tesla model s. You can charge just like you would fill up with gas

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Tesla Model S - there are supercharging stations all along the route.

Superchargers still take half an hour to charge and based on the location of the superchargers you'd need to stop 3 times to get to downtown vancouver. Thats an hour and a half longer then driving with a gas vehicle.

Definitely cool though, headed out that way on Tuesday gonna stop in in Golden and Revelstoke and take a look at these supercharging stations.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Superchargers still take half an hour to charge and based on the location of the superchargers you'd need to stop 3 times to get to downtown vancouver. Thats an hour and a half longer then driving with a gas vehicle.

Definitely cool though, headed out that way on Tuesday gonna stop in in Golden and Revelstoke and take a look at these supercharging stations.

That's 1/2 hr to get from zero to 80%. If you're at 40% say, it'll be shorter.

Besides, in a 10 hour drive you'll likely stop for a snack and pee break anyways

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

That's 1/2 hr to get from zero to 80%. If you're at 40% say, it'll be shorter.

Besides, in a 10 hour drive you'll likely stop for a snack and pee break anyways

okay fine factoring in those it would probably take a hour longer in a model S. Unless you're traveling with a family or a pack of crabby smokers. then the travel time is probably the same. Definitely exciting times for electric vehicles.

and it's 40 minutes from 0% to 80% not 30. They're assuming you don't run it all the way down before charging it again when they give the 30 minute time for charging.

[Nage Waza]

LOL at this thread.

For starters, how would any electric vehicle determine if the fuel used to produce electricity was renewable? Impossible.

Secondly, I have two cars, one is gas, one electric. If i must drive a few hundred kms, which is super rare, I take the gas vehicle. Otherwise, electric all the way. Electric should be good for any family with more than one car, or anyone that rarely has such long drives.

On top of that, I use my electric car to go to and from work. That is perfect. I would imagine batteries will improve, and be swappable as the technology advances, so that modern gas stations may evolve to charging stations or a place to swap batteries.

The fact almost every car manufacturer is investing in electric is a pretty good sign things are changing.

This conversation is almost like talking about global warming...

[GGG]

One of the biggest issues with current tech going mainstream is the availability of lithium.

http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/season2/

So really a non lithium source for a battery with sufficient energy density is required before we really make a dent a taking cars off the road.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by GGG

One of the biggest issues with current tech going mainstream is the availability of lithium.

http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/season2/

So really a non lithium source for a battery with sufficient energy density is required before we really make a dent a taking cars off the road.

Chemists already are working on a "sweet" solution for a biobattery. Got this from a thread from the other site I frequent endless-sphere.com.


http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/20...r-power-phones

[Ahuch]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

A Canadian transit bus manufacturer is prototyping electric transit buses.

One concept has about hundred kilometers of range and a 4 hour recharge. For the transit industry that will fit with a morning and afternoon run to cover the peaks

The other concept is for the bus to drive 45 minutes and linger for 10 minutes which would allow the charging system to" top up " and run all day

If one where to incorporate a fast recharge to that electric truck... It could be very productive on a specifically scheduled route

Assuming that 100km is the "warm" range, it'd probably be less in winter. Would never work here with such a range because you might have a traffic jam on the way back to the bus depot and run out of juice.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

Chemists already are working on a "sweet" solution for a biobattery. Got this from a thread from the other site I frequent endless-sphere.com.


http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/20...r-power-phones

Two huge problems:

1) they're not rechargeable, meaning you need to continue to use new sugar each time which would require massive amounts of farmland

2) the use of sugar creates carbon dioxide which what we're trying to avoid. They attempt to avoid the problem by making an acid out of 6 carbon dioxide. I'm wondering about the toxicity of the resulting acid as it would be produced very high quantities

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by Ahuch

Assuming that 100km is the "warm" range, it'd probably be less in winter. Would never work here with such a range because you might have a traffic jam on the way back to the bus depot and run out of juice.

Some routes aren't even 50 km for a morning run.

At anyrate Winnipeg is trying it out and they have enough winter for all of us!