Posted on 10/30/2014 6:23:18 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
The 40-foot green machines, which as prototypes are priced at about $1 million each, are made by New Flyer Industries. The all-electric propulsion system was built by Siemens.
Regular diesel-powered buses cost $400,000 to $500,000 each, and diesel-electric hybrid buses cost about $700,000, according to the CTA.
CTA officials estimated the electric buses will reduce energy costs by more than $25,000 a year per bus, or roughly $300,000 over the average 12-year bus life span.
The electric bus demonstration project is funded by a $2.2 million grant received in 2011 from the Federal Transit Administration, plus about $300,000 in congestion mitigation funding, officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at my.chicagotribune.com ...
Setting aside the cost effectiveness issue of City buses in general, and the fact that a “government” bureaucracy is in charge, I never saw in the article “how much” in terms of dollars at normal city pkh rates, it will cost to charge these behemoths up.
I say “poo poo” to that idea.
This is pretty close to the story told in “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit”
Right. Except the part about Toons.
According to the figures given for energy savings(which are questionable)it would appear to be about a break-even compared to the diesel bus in 12 yrs. However,there are other costs to be considered. If it is to be a hybrid bus,it is more complex. If it is to be all-electric,then we need to consider what the EPA is doing to the electrical generating capabilities in our country & how that affects cost of operation. Get rid of the EPA,expand our electrical generating capabilities,& solve the cold weather problems & an electric bus might make some sense.
Really? I read a mammoth article in the NEW YORKER around 1978 on the whole thing.
Thanks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_North_America#Purported_conspiracies
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