Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire New Electric Vehicles Saving Havre Montana Residents Big $'s

Notice they said they dont see an entire fleet of electric buses. That is for many reasons. Likely cant make the longer routes without more charging infrastructure and delays to charge. Also, they need more chargers and space for charging and beefing up the electricity supply to the site to get enough power for charging. They dont mention a complete change in tech for the mechanics, who need retrained to repair electric vehicles. They also would not be good for long athletic trips without statewide charging.

Electric is great when it makes sense, glad they are finding a way to use some. There are areas where it just doesnt make sense, and that is why it cannot just be a hard switch over.... the tech isnt ready.

Have any of you seen the hard forced switchover yet?

Aside from the innanet?

Saw some posts on batterlife etc. I am a Civil Engineer and my teams are helping states roll out the federal governments plans for chargers along the interstates. My team is working on 3 states around me. We have also helped prepare studies on the feasibility of transit agencies converting to electric. There is a lot of very interesting information. For example, there is not a really good cut away bus ( the small town transit buses that carry about 25 people0. They seem to have a route capability of 80-100 miles, but you dont want to charge them to 100% and you dont want to run them below 20% or so. Additionally, the batteries fade over time, likely in 3-5 years the battery capacity may only be 70% of what it was initially, which really reduces the route distance. For transit, ou can put chargers in the pavement at bust stops, and that can buy you some extra distance. Sitting 10 minutes at each stop to gain a little charge. The problem is the cost of providing and maintaining all of these chargers along the routes. None of this considers the obvious change in technology as it improves and everything will have to be torn out and replaces to upgrade. Not much different than computers 30 years ago, or phones 15 years ago. Tech improves so fast and all the existint stuff doesnt work anymore. Most of our studies have shown our local transit agencies to consider adding electric as tech improves, and slowly add to the shorter routes, if that is a plan they like. May be 10 years before things reach feasibility, and that is for programmed and easily planned transit stuff.

How much more of a forced transition do you need than inflated gas prices, billions of dollars of our tax dollars to force the installation of unprofitable charging stations across the country, starting along the interstate. Even when proven to not be feasible, the federal plan forces the installation of a charging station every 50 miles along all interstates and then to secondary highways etc. Once they get the system half way converted, prices for both will be high because of a severe loss of customers for fossil fuels and not enough customers for electric. Will still have to deal with the rolling power outages if there is an increase in charging. Does somebody actually have to knock on your door with a gun for it to be considered a forceful switch?

I'd suggest the subsidies for both modes be eliminated and we let economics, as opposed to government mandates, regulate our transportation industry.

BULLS HIT GALORE!!

That'd be a loosing proposition.

I think the most most of them, deep down in their dark oil stained hearts know the facts but just enjoy being part of the opposition due to some warped ideology they struggle to cling to.

Yeah, right.

If the subsidies for big oil were revoked you'd be payin' $10.95 a gallon for fuel.

Who'd be cryin' then?

Who is manufacturing the Buses Jeff?

Why are you Commies avoiding this question?

We spent over a trillion the last time we went to Iraq.

How's that system working?

What makes you think Jeff is a commie, or are you just being insulting?

At a guess...really well for the top end of town.

You ain't a kidding.


Been working real well for a small few since BP asked us to kindly make the Iranians forget who owned the oil under their feet in the early 50's.

I think we are up to just about one Zilllion dollars spent supporting the "never got any help" oil industry.

ID Shooter, I'm not discounting your experience at all here. It's Interesting that electric trolling motors go decades completely submerged and stored/stowed out in the sun for their entire working life and the rail industry hasn't demanded better service of their traction motors. Maybe with the dust, grit, pebbles, rocks, etc. that get kicked up as the trains travel, stuff is just going to get chipped/cracked and the water gets in.

57 3/4tn-1tn new pickups on the various big 3 (4 w/GMC) lots in Fargo ND. 37 Ram, 5 Chevy, 7 GMC, 2 Fords. Pre-2020 there were 30-50+ of each brand in each size (3/4tn and 1tn).

I know they claim microchip shortage. I suspect there's a significant cutback in production to keep their "Fleets" in compliance w/CAFE standards.

Lion Electric make the buses they bought. Lion Electric is a Canadian bases company, it has a factory in Illinois that makes electric school buses.

What's this got to do with Communism?

You really need to look at life-cycle costs.

A grant (i.e. other taxpayers) payed 85% of the initial capital cost. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

More lengthy description. Two locos, one 25 ton w/one power unit, one 45 ton w/ two power units. Both low speed.....15 mph tops. And ran solely within our property boundaries. Both run 24/7 for 120 days during processing season each year, and possibly an average of 10 hrs/week the rest of the year. Both machines are 75 plus years old.

Motor failure almost always occurs as snow gets pushed up under the locomotive and into the motor.

Point being: electric motors do fail, even without water intrusion. Bearings wear out, winding short out, armatures fail.

Though I fail to remember the replacement of a fork truck motor. Yes, many a battery. Lead acid batteries lasted three to four years. We kept a fleet of six electric lift trucks. These lift trucks were rated for explosive environments, so the motors were sealed exceptionally well.

As far as I remember, the motors were good for the life of the truck. In our environment that life was fifteen to twenty years, then we scrapped them.

How in hell's half acre did I miss this thread for a couple of days? Oh, yeah. I don't think I logged on from Fri night until yesterday evening and then I didn't stay long.

Anywhoooo..................

Jim, I'm with you. Some of these old fuggers still haven't figured out that it would be OK for them to go out and buy a 6.5 Creedlemore if they chose to do it just for the heck of it........


kamo_gari's video from TX was right..........this place is just hilarious some days.