Electric buses - Zero Emission

[ozbob]

Smart Cities Council --> Fast-charging buses provide non-stop service

[ozbob]

ABC --> Electric bus unveiled

A new electric bus will be unveiled in Melbourne this week by Brighsun

The Brighsun electric bus (ebus) which is able to drive from Melbourne to Sydney on a single charge will be unveiled in Victoria this week.

The launch will show case four prototype full electric buses and present a high range capacity of route service passenger buses as well as touring coaches.

"The technology behind the bus has been in development for four years and came from a desire to deliver clean, green sustainable transport options," says chief executive Allen Saylav.

"We believe this technology could change the face of public transport around the world and with the use of the eVehicle propulsion system which creates long lasting life in vehicles."

The buses run on a high performance lithium ion battery combined with proprietary eMotor, battery management and a regenerative breaking system.

There are also benefits with fuel reduction and zero emissions.

The launch will be held at Yuroke, Victoria, on October 30 with international delegates expected to attend.

The buses will then perform a single charge performance drive from Melbourne to Sydney on October 31.

There are also plans to open manufacturing plants for the vehicles across Australia.

[verbatim9]

Looks great!

[SurfRail]

This is where the locally designed and built one exhibited in Melbourne has gone.  (The intention was always to produce something for the Malaysian market but it was meant to run on the Gold Coast for a bit first.)

http://www.motorme.my/mai-introduces-e-bus-prototype/

[ozbob]

One Step Off the Grid --> Australian all-electric bus drives into record books – 1,018km on one charge

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

International Business Times --> Paris Climate Talks: Bogotá's Urban Experiment To Cut Smog And Carbon With Electric Buses

[ozbob]

Green Car Reports --> Long-Range Electric VW Microbus Concept To Debut At CES

[ozbob]

It is essential that high frequency inner city bus routes go electric in my opinion.

The buses are available to do it.  Time to get cracking ...

[verbatim9]

It is essential that high frequency inner city bus routes go electric in my opinion.

The buses are available to do it.  Time to get cracking ...

Yeah on the Core/Go Anytime Network

[ozbob]

Twitter

Mass Transit ‏@MassTransitmag 2m

.@CTA to Buy Electric Buses http://masstransitmag.com/12161051 

[verbatim9]

Are they bike racks on front of those busses? ☺

[aldonius]

Looks like it. We used to have some in Brisbane.
They also really slow down boarding and are apparently bad for visibility. In any event, there's only 3 spaces max, which is actually a good thing.

From a timetabling perspective, building a cycling culture of people and their bikes hopping on and off buses is really the last thing you want.

As I said a couple of days ago, bikes on transit doesn't work at large scale.

[verbatim9]

I was talking about on trams bascially. Some bus routes would justify bike racks in Brisbane. We are one of the largest municipalities area wise except for L.A.

[ozbob]

Chicago Tribune --> CTA to buy more electric buses

[Stillwater]

Canberra's ACTION buses have bike racks.

https://www.action.act.gov.au/rider_Info/driving_and_cycling/bike_racks_on_buses

[ozbob]

Bicycle racks on buses is always a token thing.  Very limited ...

Much better to think about bicycle storage facilities at key stops and other bicycle services at destination points eg. CBDs.

Tried and failed in Brisbane. 

[#Metro]

Bike racks are really expensive. And we have CityCycle.

I'm not against limited bicycle transport on trains. Some distances cannot be covered by bicycle and outgoing connections from the station are bad. The issue is obviously peak times.

Brisbane needs proper, separated bikeways. Take lanes and parking from cars, put up simple block barriers - these can be quite low, no higher than your ankle - on the road. Bicycle parking - not fancy stuff like KGS Cycle Centre - but just simple parking poles. Also take 1 carpark away and give it to 10 bikes. Not hard.

Brisbane City Council is apparently still stuck in 1960 worshipping the car.

[ozbob]

Twitter

ZeEUSproject ‏@zeeusproject 7h

Irizar #electric i2e #bus tested in @zeeusproject claimed Bus of 2016! #publictransport #UITP #ZeEUS_Barcelona

[ozbob]

9 News --> Driverless electric bus to hit Perth roads this year in first Australian trial

[ozbob]

Good News Pilipinas --> RP-made Hybrid Electric Road Train launched

The hybrid road train is a 40-meter long system of five interlinked and air conditioned coaches.

The front coach contains the pilot chamber while the last coach holds the fuel and power generation system composed of 260 ordinary motor vehicle batteries. The three remaining coaches can accommodate as much as 60 passengers each for a total of 240 per trip or an estimate of 650,000 passengers in a day.

The train can run at a top speed of 50kph on a dedicated lane in the existing major thoroughfare in Metro Manila. To be fully utilized, existing road infrastructures need to be modified to provide designated stops or platforms that will complement the specifications for the train's unique features.

The road train weighs about 10 metric tons in full capacity and uses ordinary rubber tires instead of steel rails, thus making it more economical. It is also equipped with dual braking system for efficient braking.

The alternative mass transport system is part of the advocacy of the multi-agency Bayanihan sa Daan (Road Sharing) Movement which encourages commuters to reduce their dependence on cars and opt for healthier alternatives like walking, biking and the use of an efficient, eco-friendly mass transportation system.

- See more at: http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/rp-made-hybrid-electric-road-train-launched/

[verbatim9]

Good Article on all Electric Busses ----> https://solarthermalmagazine.com/2015/07/30/here-comes-londons-first-large-scale-zero-emission-single-deck-bus-fleet/

[ozbob]

Business Insider --> The very first electric double-decker bus just arrived in London



^ note.  No stupid ad-wrap over windows ...

[ozbob]

VDL --> Group of European electric bus manufacturers agrees on an open interface for charging

European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and Volvo have agreed to ensure the interoperability of electric buses with charging infrastructure provided by ABB, Heliox and Siemens. The objective is to ensure an open interface between electric buses and charging infrastructure and to facilitate the introduction of electric bus systems in European cities.

The public transport community is preparing for electric buses in Europe and standardization activities have started via the European body (CEN-CENELEC) and via the international organization for standardization (ISO/IEC). European standards are expected to come in place 2019 and international standards in 2020.

However, many cities are implementing electric bus systems already now. In order to meet the needs of these cities, European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and Volvo have together with charging system suppliers ABB, Heliox and Siemens agreed to an open, transparent and voluntary approach. Common, preferred interfaces will be opened-up for all market participants and will be used for electric buses with so called opportunity charging (fast charging at end stops) and for overnight charged electric buses. The group is committed to contribute to European standardization activities and to share experiences with CEN/CENELEC and ISO/IEC in order to establish a common European standard for electric bus systems.

The objective is to facilitate the transfer to electric bus systems in cities to ensure reliability and compatibility across bus brands and charging systems. Other bus manufacturers and charging system suppliers are invited to join the cooperation.

For opportunity charging, the system includes automatic contacting by a pantograph, wireless communication, contacting plates and infrastructure equipment that automatically contact vehicles with a pantograph. For overnight charged electric buses, the fast charging standard for cars (CCS) will be used as a base for the plug and for the communication.

[ozbob]

Jerusalem Post --> 50 electric buses expected to hit Israel's roads by 2017

[ozbob]

Charged --> Study: Electric buses earn 82% more profit than diesel buses

[verbatim9]

Charged --> Study: Electric buses earn 82% more profit than diesel buses

Be great to have 10 electric Articulated busses running on the  Gold Coast before the Comm Games as well as 10 in Brisbane. Standard electric busses running in Ipswich, Toowoomba and Cairns. Can portray a good example to the rest of the world!?

[ozbob]

The original post in this thread optimistically forecasted electric bus for Brisbane by 2013!

This joint cannot even manage to sort out rear door boarding ...

   

[verbatim9]

Oh!

[Arnz]

Noosa Shire Council are also undergoing planning for the electric bus trial which was supposed to start this year but is now pushed till 2017.  Oddly enough the bus was going to stationed at the Sunbus Marcoola depot (in the SC Regional Council area).

[verbatim9]

All the cities in Australia would of had electric busses by now if carbon trading in Australia still existed.

[ozbob]

Twitter

UITP ‏@UITPnews 21m

Philadelphia to become first big city on US East Coast with electric #buses http://bit.ly/21ZMCe3

[Stillwater]

Noosa electric bus trial looks set to start in November.

http://www.noosanews.com.au/news/a-bus-builder-which-has-turned-out-more-than-2200-/3024458/

[ozbob]

Congratulations to @vanhool for unveiling their full electric articulated bus at #TP2016 pic.twitter.com/v1KLWDz8QF

— Mohamed Mezghani (@MedMezghani) June 14, 2016

[ozbob]

This is the go bus network reform & EBs on the busways@StirlHinchliffe @Team_Quirk why waste billions $$ #qldpol
>> https://t.co/s74LSYCD6f

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) June 15, 2016

[ozbob]

Cars Technica --> There's a new patent-free fast charging system for electric buses

[ozbob]

Clean Technica --> Electric Bus Route In Sweden Zooms Past Expectations

The electric bus route 55 in Gothenburg, Sweden, has now been in service for over a year. How successful has the route been during that time? Very successful. Drivers and passengers have had very good things to say about the electric bus route, apparently.

During the first year of service, electric route 55 has ferried around 1.2 million passengers, and surpassed expectations "by a wide margin."

An email sent to CleanTechnica and EV Obsession provides more:

Traffic on route 55 in Gothenburg began in June 2015 and the green electric buses soon became a common sight on the urban scene. Today the route between Chalmers and Lindholmen carries an average of 100,000 passengers a month. Surveys conducted by the ElectriCity partners reveal that both passengers and drivers appreciate the new electric bus route and that the vehicles, charging infrastructure, and bus stops more than meet the highest expectations.

According to Public Transport Authority Västtrafik, passengers are generally very satisfied with the service. The fact that the buses run on renewable electricity is regarded favourably, and the bus stops at Chalmersplatsen and Teknikgatan are rated very highly. About 80% of passengers appreciate the free WiFi on board, and no less than 93% feel that the low on-board noise level is a great benefit. Measurements carried out by Volvo confirm these perceptions and show considerable differences in noise between diesel and electric power, both inside and outside the buses, particularly at low speeds.

The bus operator, Keolis, conducted a survey of the drivers as well — which revealed that the relatively low noise levels of the electric buses was the biggest advantage, making for a better working and traveling environment. Another factor that was appreciated was the zone management system that limits speed in specific areas automatically.

The most recent statistics from Volvo, Keolis, and Västtrafik reveal that program results "are on a par with or have exceeded the targets for charging function, punctuality and service provision."

"These excellent results show that the technology for electrified bus operations is ripe for more broad-based introduction. Electric power offers new possibilities for cities to transition public transport in a sustainable direction, promoting safer traffic and a healthier environment with less noise and better air quality," stated Niklas Gustafsson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Volvo Group.

Not that that's really a surprise to anyone — electric buses are becoming more and more common around the world (China in particular), and are proving that the technology is in many ways an improvement over internal combustion engine (ICE) buses.

[ozbob]

Albuquerque Journal --> City to use electric buses for rapid transit

[ozbob]

. @StirlHinchliffe @TMRQld Electric buses > https://t.co/adV6qh1JCI via @railbotforum#qldpol pic.twitter.com/9ey9OFKeMh

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 22, 2016

[verbatim9]

Be a good idea to trial them. Say 4 Articulated ones on the Gold Coast have them in Service by April 2017 a year before the Games. 2 on the 700 route and one on the 745 and other on the 777. All door boarding for the 700 and 777. More ticketing options inside the Gold Coast terminals with 2 Full service vending machines. "Its going to be 2018 not 1977!"