• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Electric Buses

S

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,530
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
Yes Panasonic is going in right direction with their tech a 4680 battery which exceeds the current 2170 cells they use currently that replaced the 18650's in EV's. It packs 9000 mAh per cell and uses raw silicone as new anode for NCA battery (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) which will give about a 16% increase in their range, not much but adds up over time.
In the mean time if the geniuses that is running the buses in your area had any sense of electricity they wouldn't need as much power as they are running right now. Don't know the schedule of all the buses or how many buses the area is running but instead of just sucking on the all electric bus tit they should integrate the other buses that run on natural gas/diesel and rotate them on use as they aren't more than so many on bulk charge. When one or so many comes off bulk charge to absorb have other bus(es) get start charging, try to start charging so many buses at once.
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,573
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Metro tried NG buses, not such a good result, runs too dry, cooks valves piston crowns etc, fuel systems were infinitely cranky, took over eight hours to dribble in CNG as would static charge Everything, until got a improved system then was down to four hours each bus to refuel and the engines were hungry on the low btu fuel.

Primary fleet is diesel no thoughts currently of hybrids. May end up back to catenary system all electrics eventually.
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,573
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
UPS PTI and a few other trucking companies I am seeing are using CNG storage and NG Engines where I would not want to drive one of these. Fuel Storage cell is attached to back wall of cab or on supports directly behind cab on many of these. UPS has them Saddle Mounted and as I have been told require refilling at Every Depot Dock as they use so much.
 
B

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,323
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
I don't work in EV but in off grid power which has some similar components.

Every month some new battery company comes out with some new lithium product or changes ownership and design.

Every new product lasts 20+ years they say and is ever better and safer and you will never have problems.

Never mind the product is brand new and has not stood the test of time, the line is always, "trust us."

I stick with what I know works and has always worked for my customers. No guinea pigs up here.
 
S

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,530
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
Birken Vogt said:
I don't work in EV but in off grid power which has some similar components.

Every month some new battery company comes out with some new lithium product or changes ownership and design.

Every new product lasts 20+ years they say and is ever better and safer and you will never have problems.

Never mind the product is brand new and has not stood the test of time, the line is always, "trust us."

I stick with what I know works and has always worked for my customers. No guinea pigs up here.
Click to expand...
Which is why I have a 3780 lb "lead acid" forklift battery powering this place up.
No one is speaking of dendrites in lithium, thermal runaways, or what happens when you charge a lithium below 32 degrees. Lithium is great no matter what you add to it in laboratory settings, but when you start factoring real world factors of extreme environments, vibration, lack of experience personnel, or any critters can get to any parts you got a disaster waiting.
Think of it this way, some the wires in a BMS system that determine a batteries fate of how much charge it should get are only around 18 gauge.
 
B

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,323
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
I also endorse fork lift style batteries for anyone needing a new battery bank, first choice. I tell them, for the cost difference you could pay us to come water the batteries monthly rather than buy fancy and fragile high performance lithium.

Though I do like lithium batteries better than sealed lead acid for a number of reasons, if they absolutely must be maintenance free.

Light weight means nothing in a shed where we only move the batteries once in 10 or 15 years.
 
J

JLarson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
656
Location
AZ
Occupation
Owner- civil and heavy repair/fab company
I'm yet to see a government electric vehicle project like that wasn't a boondoggle.

But it felt good force spending your hard earned money on dumb **** we can say is green right?
 
J

JLarson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
656
Location
AZ
Occupation
Owner- civil and heavy repair/fab company
Truck Shop said:
The one thing that is really taking form {some say it will take years} is automatous trucks. The driver shortage
is the driving force. I install Samsara gps trackers on our trailers, was talking with a IT person this week about
about the latest versions. The conversation shifted towards driverless trucks. From what I gathered there is a
pile of money behind the development. And by the way he talked it's a bunch closer than anyone thinks. Mainly
OTR trucks and business class. Will be able to track 1/4 mile in advance in the densest fog and pace the speed
of vehicle ahead and that's only one advantage.

The owner has even said he will buy the first ten just to get rid of the human aspect and dealing with drivers.
Click to expand...

I can think of several drivers immediately I'd like to see replaced with a roomba truck lol.
 
Truck Shop

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,978
Location
WWW.
JLarson said:
I can think of several drivers immediately I'd like to see replaced with a roomba truck lol.
Click to expand...

We have 65 drivers and out of that 65 we had one female driver who retired. She had the best safety record
of the lot. She had no ego, never tried to prove her self. We have a place that we haul out of that is a real
pain to back into. From what I understand she could back up there as easy as pie. Her truck was always
very clean inside and out. She could chain up at the drop of a hat. Paper work was spot on. She was always
polite do deal with. She was and is one of the best drivers I've run across in my years.
 
B

Bluox

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
1,960
Location
WA state
Truck Shop said:
The one thing that is really taking form {some say it will take years} is automatous trucks. The driver shortage
is the driving force. I install Samsara gps trackers on our trailers, was talking with a IT person this week about
about the latest versions. The conversation shifted towards driverless trucks. From what I gathered there is a
pile of money behind the development. And by the way he talked it's a bunch closer than anyone thinks. Mainly
OTR trucks and business class. Will be able to track 1/4 mile in advance in the densest fog and pace the speed
of vehicle ahead and that's only one advantage.

The owner has even said he will buy the first ten just to get rid of the human aspect and dealing with drivers.
Click to expand...
About the only way I could see the driverless trucks working would be having dedicated roads for them keeping them separated from cars.
Watching a news cast about truck driver shortage and the women they were interviewing was well versed in the current problems and when asked about automatous trucks she said we almost have that now they are called trains.
Bob
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,573
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Has a sincere point.
Was a article on MSN of Battery Electric Trains, just Why? Have had and can return to catenary systems where no need for batteries or ‘innovative’ charging systems for limited range machines, just feed them direct power. Milwaukee Road and the NYCentral did it half a century ago.
 
John C.

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,870
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Seattle still runs electric busses. The wires are still overhead and the rods run up to make contact. For the inner city, I've seen nothing work better. As far as batteries go, you are never going to get a better power system than diesel. All this money is being wasted on futile attempts to convince the public that a battery of any kind can supply the power to move large amounts of weight over long distances is the future of mankind.
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,573
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Can see a lot of freight disappearing as the goon squads figure out No Driver to stop them.
 
Truck Shop

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,978
Location
WWW.
They would have to wreck it. The truck is not going to stop there is no human element of life in danger.
Plus it could be armed with spray nozzles that contain dye. Bright purple dye, or slimy bacon fat containing
skunk pi$$. Don't need guns or any of those things for protection. There are ton's of ways to keep people at bay.
 
J

JLarson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
656
Location
AZ
Occupation
Owner- civil and heavy repair/fab company
They've been tricking those DOE trailers out for years with cool booby traps, shouldn't have to do any prototyping.
 
S

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,530
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
Truck Shop said:
They would have to wreck it. The truck is not going to stop there is no human element of life in danger.
Plus it could be armed with spray nozzles that contain dye. Bright purple dye, or slimy bacon fat containing
skunk pi$$. Don't need guns or any of those things for protection. There are ton's of ways to keep people at bay.
Click to expand...
Sometimes I can't always agree with everything. If that were the case then people wouldn't be still robbing banks that have exploding dye packs, sequentially numbered bills, man traps that lock one between interior and exterior doors, long prison sentences, higher teller booth barriers that are harder to jump over or not at all, armed guards, GPS tracking devices in money bags and cameras. Yet they still keep coming...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top