5 ms·

On the one hand, it sure seems like most school buses should only need 100 mi a day or hopefully less. This seems gigantic for the need. On the other hand, a b

On the one hand, it sure seems like most school buses should only need 100 mi a day or hopefully less. This seems gigantic for the need. On the other hand, a bus that did have to travel >200mi a day would have emitted proportionally more pollution than a shorter range bus! Targeting longer routes makes sense!

benj111 3y ago
What's the length of a school run though? This could do 75 miles each way, twice a day without charging. But the bus isn't used for most of the day, so you could realistically halve that range anyway. And I doubt any bus routes are that long anyway. And what's with the name mega BEAST? Is it going to get my kids safely to school, or eat them?
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/60068.pdf https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/60068.pdf (“A Statistical Characterization of School Bus Drive Cycles Collected via Onboard Logging Systems”)
  - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
    > Of the over 1,500 individual operating shifts analyzed as part of this study, the average driving distance observed was 31.73 miles, with a maximum observed driving distance of 127.36 miles and a minimum distance of 1.45 miles. Calculating the set standard deviation, sigma was found to be 15.17 miles. Again assuming normality based on the driving distance distribution, a 99.7% confidence interval on route distance was determined and found to be zero to 77.23 miles. Similarly to route duration, doubling the route distance to reflect daily operating distances, it is found that on average school buses travel 73.46 miles, with a 99.7% cutoff on driving distance of 154.46 miles.
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago
      That’ll do Beast bus, that’ll do.
anonymouskimmer 3y ago
This makes a lot of sense for school buses that are used for trips, but less so for the majority of school buses. I'd say it'd even be worth it to charter a non-school bus for longer trips. Where this might make sense is in charging infrastructure for school bus fleets, where they are all on the road for particular parts of the day and all parked for other particular parts of the day. A larger battery would ease scheduling of charging by allowing it to happen only every few days (though the tradeoff being that a larger battery needs longer to charge).
barryrandall 3y ago
I'm assuming that, like all other EVs, range plummets with the heat running.
- landemva 3y ago
  This is correct. Heat for battery in cold climates. Heat and cooling for passengers.
- thebruce87m 3y ago
  Due to the known schedule of the bus they would be able to pre-heat the battery and cabin.

benj111 3y ago

What's the length of a school run though? This could do 75 miles each way, twice a day without charging. But the bus isn't used for most of the day, so you could realistically halve that range anyway. And I doubt any bus routes are that long anyway. And what's with the name mega BEAST? Is it going to get my kids safely to school, or eat them?

toomuchtodo 3y ago
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/60068.pdf https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/60068.pdf (“A Statistical Characterization of School Bus Drive Cycles Collected via Onboard Logging Systems”)
- anonymouskimmer 3y ago
  > Of the over 1,500 individual operating shifts analyzed as part of this study, the average driving distance observed was 31.73 miles, with a maximum observed driving distance of 127.36 miles and a minimum distance of 1.45 miles. Calculating the set standard deviation, sigma was found to be 15.17 miles. Again assuming normality based on the driving distance distribution, a 99.7% confidence interval on route distance was determined and found to be zero to 77.23 miles. Similarly to route duration, doubling the route distance to reflect daily operating distances, it is found that on average school buses travel 73.46 miles, with a 99.7% cutoff on driving distance of 154.46 miles.
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    That’ll do Beast bus, that’ll do.

anonymouskimmer 3y ago

This makes a lot of sense for school buses that are used for trips, but less so for the majority of school buses. I'd say it'd even be worth it to charter a non-school bus for longer trips. Where this might make sense is in charging infrastructure for school bus fleets, where they are all on the road for particular parts of the day and all parked for other particular parts of the day. A larger battery would ease scheduling of charging by allowing it to happen only every few days (though the tradeoff being that a larger battery needs longer to charge).

barryrandall 3y ago

I'm assuming that, like all other EVs, range plummets with the heat running.

landemva 3y ago
This is correct. Heat for battery in cold climates. Heat and cooling for passengers.
thebruce87m 3y ago
Due to the known schedule of the bus they would be able to pre-heat the battery and cabin.