https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/jackson-wyoming-teton-county-fall-back-on-diesel-fleet-after-none-of-its-electric-buses-work/ar-AA1hErSo?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=4e32e762824a4a48816c5249fea4c036&ei=48
Few takeaways:
1- Jackson Hole is beyond beautiful.
2- Because it's so pretty, a HOT HOT HOT tourism town.
3- And also a ton of ultra wealthy people live there
4- Wyoming stays COLD for a lot of the year. Last week the highs were the lows here in SC. It frosted last week.
5- The company didn't go bankrupt because of Wyoming busses, but likely many other factors. Despite stupid amounts of gov money....
So the article/op-ed conflates two issues - the busses not working well in cold weather and then the busses breaking down to the point of non-usability. The former is a known thing but what caused the latter then - the company going bankrupt?
Either way, electric buses that actually work well have been a thing for decades (literally, 100+ years), but WtP never hear about them because it's boring and doesn't make anyone look good/cool, as they run of line power, not batteries:
(https://www.historylink.org/Content/Media/Photos/Large/trackless-trolley-demonstrator-in-front-of-the-north-seattle-barn-march-4-1937.jpg)
(https://www.historylink.org/Content/Media/Photos/Large/seattle-new-flyer-xt40-trolleybus-in-2015.jpg)
"Busses" vs "Buses" - the former is a little archaic.
Quote from: Morris Minor on October 04, 2023, 11:27:26 AM"Busses" vs "Buses" - the former is a little archaic.
I honestly prefer "busses," as "buses" clicks in my head as being pronounced "byooses," like Gary Busey (though of course with context, my brain knows not to make such an error).
Quote from: Morris Minor on October 04, 2023, 11:27:26 AM"Busses" vs "Buses" - the former is a little archaic.
bussin'
Back on topic. Trolley buses are not favored because of the infrastructure they need, plus they are tied to their routes - there's no diverting if a route is blocked for some reason.
I tend to prefer fixed infrastructure transit. Subway/trolley/etc. I think because I can easily see the route and stops.
At least some of said busses are hybrid busses; i.e., can jump off the lines as needed. But that's the thing with busses, busses run a fixed/known route, at least most of the time.
I think people are too dumb to not crash into lines and poles. Maybe when we get 100% EV they can all be on wires.
Ugh now the city here is going to spend money on busses too.
$7million
https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/environment/2023/10/05/city-of-augusta-taking-steps-to-reduce-carbon-foot-print-by-purchasing-electric-buses/71042210007/
""The cost of a battery for an electric bus is $1 million, compared to a diesel bus, which costs around $600,000 to $700,000," said Page. "If you look at the life of a battery, it's 14 years. And the time out for repairs is far less compared to a diesel bus.""
We rode on electric buses in Norway. Also the terminal shuttle at SJC is electric. They're much more civilized.
The old American interurbans appeal to my steampunkish side. Those things used to absolutely fly along once they got outside the built-up areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interurban
Quote from: Morris Minor on October 06, 2023, 05:58:19 AMWe rode on electric buses in Norway. Also the terminal shuttle at SJC is electric. They're much more civilized.
The old American interurbans appeal to my steampunkish side. Those things used to absolutely fly along once they got outside the built-up areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interurban
Salt Lake City has something similar now.
https://www.rideuta.com/Services/TRAX
When my brother lived in the south end of the SLC valley but worked up on the north-east side, he parked his car in a big lot and rode a train to downtown, switched trains, then was at work. He read books or whatever instead of dealing with driving.
Except one time someone stole his beat-up old Impreza. It turned up about two weeks later surprisingly still intact.