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Post by gilberations on Apr 11, 2022 16:07:04 GMT
I’m curious. I’ve noticed that whilst transit buses are ranging electric buses between 300-500 miles, school bus manufacturers seem to be stuck on 120…
for my personal route, I do about 180 most days, 240 on days with our late bus. Average trips are in the 250-350 mile round trip range too.
does anyone know why they’re limiting themselves? Or is it just a matter of if we ask they can provide?
also, why the lack of type D electric? My route need them for a variety of reasons.
thanks! And may the discussion stay positive and not anti-electric!
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Post by 92wardsenator on Apr 12, 2022 1:07:04 GMT
Great topic! Locally our school system would probably need buses with a range of about 300 miles or more. While I don't have exact information for how long the routes are, a lot of students in my area are bused to different parts of town based on a student assignment plan to help achieve diversity in the classroom. We piloted hybrid buses in the past (both IC CE and Thomas C2) and it seems like that was successful but I haven't heard much about that in recent years. To my knowledge all of our hybrid buses are still in service and I'm interested in hearing how they have held up (they are about eleven years old). One of the biggest barriers to adoption of electric buses right now is costs. Electric school buses can cost between $350k-$400k while traditional diesel buses cost around $125k-$150k. I have no doubt that some manufacturers are sacrificing battery capacity to help make these buses more affordable. Technologies will improve and you'll see increased battery sizes at more affordable prices over time. Also, it seems that there are a few options now for electric RE buses. LionD - thelionelectric.com/en/products/electric_school_busBlue Bird T3RE electric - www.blue-bird.com/images/brochures/SB-RE-EV-1020.pdfGreenPower Beast - greenpowermotor.com/gp-products/beast-school-bus/ |
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Post by county.line.road on Apr 16, 2022 23:39:37 GMT
We don't have electric or hybrid buses here. Though I wouldn't mind test driving one. Anyone know how long it takes for one to charge up?
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bbird608
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Bus Driver
Posts: 54
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Gender: Male
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Post by bbird608 on Apr 17, 2022 19:38:13 GMT
OK i'll be nice.
I looked up the spec sheet for the Lion buses. Both the C and D have a range of 100 - 155 mi per charge. Top speed with the electric powertrain is 60 mph. The charge time is dependent on the charger and it says 6.5-11 hours on the high end using 19.2 kW. 2.5-4.25 hours is the best using 50 kW. Those specs are probably fine for urban routes but we would wear those batteries out busing students all over the country. This doesn't mean I am anti electric. There is just a lot of hype and this won't meet our needs.
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Post by 92wardsenator on Apr 20, 2022 0:38:27 GMT
OK i'll be nice. I looked up the spec sheet for the Lion buses. Both the C and D have a range of 100 - 155 mi per charge. Top speed with the electric powertrain is 60 mph. The charge time is dependent on the charger and it says 6.5-11 hours on the high end using 19.2 kW. 2.5-4.25 hours is the best using 50 kW. Those specs are probably fine for urban routes but we would wear those batteries out busing students all over the country. This doesn't mean I am anti electric. There is just a lot of hype and this won't meet our needs. The technology is still relatively new and we will see the specs get better over time. It's true that these buses aren't designed for trips or long routes. The manufacturers know their target audience and electric buses will work well in cities and smaller suburban routes. |
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Post by powerstream on Mar 8, 2023 19:52:17 GMT
There are $70billion worth of school buses in the country, probably not going to be swapping out for $140B worth of electric buses anytime soon.
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