3 ms·

Urban buses are very different and a more obvious target. Stop and go slower avg speed regular short routes with a home base to charge. Much smaller batteries

Urban buses are very different and a more obvious target. Stop and go slower avg speed regular short routes with a home base to charge. Much smaller batteries and taking advantage of regenerative braking. It is an obvious use case for batteries right now.

sebleon 9y ago
How effective is regenerative breaking?
- cptskippy 9y ago
  Oddly good. My commute is ~25 miles one way. In my Leaf, going 65+ mph, I usually burn 25-35 miles off the charge. If I'm in stop-and-go traffic half the way I usually burn 10-15 miles for the same trip. I've taken quite a few trips where I arrived at my destination with the same amount of battery as when I left. I've yet to arrive with more charge but maybe one day...
  - mikestew 9y ago
    That’s probably due more to the aerodynamic drag of doing >65mph than it is the regen braking in stop-and-go traffic. Mileage efficiency takes a big drop in our Leaf above 60mph. EDIT: as a side note, efficiency takes a big drop in your ICE vehicle, too, I just notice it more in the Leaf with its gee-whiz telemetry.
- Tuna-Fish 9y ago
  It depends a lot on how you're driving. Numbers as high as 70% have been published, but I believe that requires the deceleration profile to be ideal, and that might not be the most comfortable one for passengers.
- woodandsteel 9y ago
  For buses it is very effective, since they stop every few blocks, whether the stop signal is red or not. It also makes for a huge saving on brake repair and replacement, which you can imagine is a big expense for buses. Also city buses usually drive under 200 miles a day and then sit overnight so you can have relatively small batteries. All in all, it is hard to think of a type of vehicle where battery power makes more economic sense, and gives you more advantages over ICE.
specialist 9y ago
A relative is super gung ho for electric buses. The evangelist / champion at an energy company. His vacations are scheduled around various unveiling events, so he can get pics. Kinda reminds me of train enthusiasts. Any way. Per what cousin tells me, I think short haul urban centric anything is ripe for electric vehicles. Delivery trucks, buses big and small, service vehicles. Maybe even tow trucks (wreckers).
kingnothing 9y ago
And what's the cost of those busses plus charging infrastructure and the risk of new technology versus overhead power lines like what's deployed throughout much of San Francisco, for example?

sebleon 9y ago

How effective is regenerative breaking?

cptskippy 9y ago
Oddly good. My commute is ~25 miles one way. In my Leaf, going 65+ mph, I usually burn 25-35 miles off the charge. If I'm in stop-and-go traffic half the way I usually burn 10-15 miles for the same trip. I've taken quite a few trips where I arrived at my destination with the same amount of battery as when I left. I've yet to arrive with more charge but maybe one day...
- mikestew 9y ago
  That’s probably due more to the aerodynamic drag of doing >65mph than it is the regen braking in stop-and-go traffic. Mileage efficiency takes a big drop in our Leaf above 60mph. EDIT: as a side note, efficiency takes a big drop in your ICE vehicle, too, I just notice it more in the Leaf with its gee-whiz telemetry.
Tuna-Fish 9y ago
It depends a lot on how you're driving. Numbers as high as 70% have been published, but I believe that requires the deceleration profile to be ideal, and that might not be the most comfortable one for passengers.
woodandsteel 9y ago
For buses it is very effective, since they stop every few blocks, whether the stop signal is red or not. It also makes for a huge saving on brake repair and replacement, which you can imagine is a big expense for buses. Also city buses usually drive under 200 miles a day and then sit overnight so you can have relatively small batteries. All in all, it is hard to think of a type of vehicle where battery power makes more economic sense, and gives you more advantages over ICE.

specialist 9y ago

A relative is super gung ho for electric buses. The evangelist / champion at an energy company. His vacations are scheduled around various unveiling events, so he can get pics. Kinda reminds me of train enthusiasts. Any way. Per what cousin tells me, I think short haul urban centric anything is ripe for electric vehicles. Delivery trucks, buses big and small, service vehicles. Maybe even tow trucks (wreckers).

kingnothing 9y ago

And what's the cost of those busses plus charging infrastructure and the risk of new technology versus overhead power lines like what's deployed throughout much of San Francisco, for example?