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> "They can't run all day on a single charge." Again, you are incorrect here. If you don't believe me, please come to London (or any one of dozens of cities in
by Reason077 8y ago
> "They can't run all day on a single charge."
Again, you are incorrect here. If you don't believe me, please come to London (or any one of dozens of cities in China and Europe) where battery electric buses routinely operate all day, every day, with overnight recharging only.
> "There's tons of Diesel buses that are decades old and in use."
In London, virtually all diesel buses are retired by the time they are 10 years old. They often are then sold on to other operators where they get less intensive use, but in London it is uneconomical to continue operating old buses. Maintenance costs increase with age, and breakdowns are costly and disruptive.
> "Electric buses are "zero emission" (move the emission somewhere else) regardless of batteries vs power lines."
All electricity is not equally polluting. In the UK, and many other grids around the world, the peak demand periods are in the early morning and evening - exactly the times when the most buses are on the road!
At these peak times, more fossil-fuel power plants are typically active, so the carbon intensity of each kWh is higher. But overnight charging means that electric buses shift their energy use to when demand is lowest. Overnight electricity is not only much cheaper, but largely produced by renewables and nuclear, so the carbon intensity is low.
(OK, this may not be applicable in Montreal where most electricity is produced from hydro. But it does apply to the grids of most major European, North American, and Asian cities.)