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Re: Bob2 reacts again Maybe you should look more closely at who from the agency actually said what...
Author: BOB2
Date: 10-05-2019 - 11:35
The writer, with some editorial liberty, seemed to assert that possibility. I was looking at what was reported agency response that was actually quoted on the record... Of course, Mouse's interpretation was not the title of the article, nor its main point... Joint Chinese/American made E bus sucks, contract cancelled, would have been more correct.
These E buses appear to have been ordered for ARTS, the Rapid Bus, which may be operating with current contracted fleets, from the bus in the picture... Another "clean" transit alternative promised in selling folks there this rapid bus scheme, but apparently just a little bit beyond the capabilities of this manufacturer to deliver.
The City transit system itself uses around 100 diesel electric hybrids, 41 straight CNG, and has recently purchased 20 "clean diesel" new Cummins equipped Flyers, after only buying Cummins straight CNG's for the last decade. So about a quarter of that fleet is CNG.
They may well include diesel...as the reporter indicated, in any new solicitation for equipment bids, if they are compliant with current standards. But, that is not what the agency itself said, only that "non electric" alternatives were available,.
There are still a fair number of "state of the art" compliant diesel transit buses available, but with some increasing costs associated with more sophisticated controls (like with Tier IV choo-choo's, too). Thus, it would be interesting to see what drove that decision to go back to "clean diesel" and away from clean diesel hybrids or CNG;s, given they have CNG fueling already, and the now much higher cost of diesel.
Battery buses for most transit applications, still simply seem to lack sufficient range and continuous operating hours per charge, with all of the stop and go, as well as the loads they carry. And, even with fast charging capabilities, E buses require a lot more down time for charging, regardless of the issues with this particular manufacturer.
We have a few electrics in my community, and they work okay on the shuttles. They make some of the local "greenies" real happy, and make for lots of positive press. But, in reality, the E-buses require being taken off the road for recharging during operating periods, impacting hourly vehicle operating costs significantly, increasing the subsidy per passenger to operate the service.
These E buses appear to have been ordered for ARTS, the Rapid Bus, which may be operating with current contracted fleets, from the bus in the picture... Another "clean" transit alternative promised in selling folks there this rapid bus scheme, but apparently just a little bit beyond the capabilities of this manufacturer to deliver.
The City transit system itself uses around 100 diesel electric hybrids, 41 straight CNG, and has recently purchased 20 "clean diesel" new Cummins equipped Flyers, after only buying Cummins straight CNG's for the last decade. So about a quarter of that fleet is CNG.
They may well include diesel...as the reporter indicated, in any new solicitation for equipment bids, if they are compliant with current standards. But, that is not what the agency itself said, only that "non electric" alternatives were available,.
There are still a fair number of "state of the art" compliant diesel transit buses available, but with some increasing costs associated with more sophisticated controls (like with Tier IV choo-choo's, too). Thus, it would be interesting to see what drove that decision to go back to "clean diesel" and away from clean diesel hybrids or CNG;s, given they have CNG fueling already, and the now much higher cost of diesel.
Battery buses for most transit applications, still simply seem to lack sufficient range and continuous operating hours per charge, with all of the stop and go, as well as the loads they carry. And, even with fast charging capabilities, E buses require a lot more down time for charging, regardless of the issues with this particular manufacturer.
We have a few electrics in my community, and they work okay on the shuttles. They make some of the local "greenies" real happy, and make for lots of positive press. But, in reality, the E-buses require being taken off the road for recharging during operating periods, impacting hourly vehicle operating costs significantly, increasing the subsidy per passenger to operate the service.
