New Hybrid Electric Trucks in the Future?

[porwolf]

Los Angeles Area to Test Electric Highway for Freight Trucks - WSJ

[Jim Richards]

Uhhh, WTF?

[sc_rufctr]

It's a great idea but in practice the infrastructure is expensive and ugly.

Trolley Buses have been used for decades in Athens. Because of the length of the booms they can switch lanes and negotiate traffic better.
But the over head lines are not discrete and they can limit other heavy traffic.

What's needed in an in ground supply but then you have issues of safety.

[Scott R]

Infrastructure costs would be staggering.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Infrastructure costs would be staggering.

Not necessarily. The Los Angeles project is an idea to cover about a 10 mile section between the harbor and the railroad yards further north. Trucks that carry the goods and go back and forth between the ships and the railroad yards further north have to travel through residential neighborhoods. There the exhausts actually create a big problem. With the overhead electric supply lines the hybrid trucks could ride emission free through the sensitive area. And since they are hybrid they could go diesel the rest of the way.

[Scott R]

That doesn't really address the costs though, and at the end of the day it's about money with this kind of stuff.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Scott R

That doesn't really address the costs though, and at the end of the day it's about money with this kind of stuff.

Clean air costs a little more.

[Scott R]

Only if someone is willing to pay for it.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Only if someone is willing to pay for it.

Exactly. That is why the trucks doing the route would be paying for it.

[dafischer]

And who would be paying for the increased costs realized by the trucking companies?

Exactly. The consumers of the products transported by those trucks.

[GH85Carrera]

Trains would make a lot more sense.

[island911]

Seattle has dual mode busses. They go electric when in the big tunnel.

And Seattle has an electric train.

Being that Seattle has hydro-electric (really cheap power costs) the operational costs don't hemorrhage as badly as they would else where. But still, really expensive. But at least it's someone else's money.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Clean air costs a little more.

at what cost?

I know this has nothing to do with electric trucks, but when someone makes a statement like that, it always reminds me of this poor fellow. I buy coffee from this guy (workman not owner) daily at the donut shop down the hill. He use to have his own truck and hauled goods from the ports until the law changed and now he must get a new truck to satisfy emission (so he can enter the port but legal to drive outside those area) or take a walk. Now his truck sits and do not have 100k for a new one or work for big firm for little money. I am all for clean air, but on who's back and what cost?

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

It's a great idea but in practice the infrastructure is expensive and ugly.

Trolley Buses have been used for decades in Athens. Because of the length of the booms they can switch lanes and negotiate traffic better.
But the over head lines are not discrete and they can limit other heavy traffic.

What's needed in an in ground supply but then you have issues of safety.

We have this sort of trolley buses here in Wellington. We have had all sorts of problems ranging from buses on fire because of the batteries, and yes too expensive to replace the aging intrastructure, a few pedestrian deaths from swinging electrical booms, slow, ugly. one breaks down the next bus can't overtake it... the list goes on. Now we are buying the latest diesel buses with low emissions.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Exactly. That is why the trucks doing the route would be paying for it.

Sorry, but this is idealistic pie in the sky nonsense. The consumers will pay for it. YOU will pay for it. Every time the government levies some new requirement that will cost companies more money, they justify it with the Robin Hood philosophy. "These RICH COMPANIES can afford it", and the sheeple eat it up. Then they ponder why their loaf of bread has doubled in price over the last year. Increased product costs are ALWAYS are reflected in the consumer cost, because companies aren't going to sell products at a loss.

PARF disclaimer: This is, by the way, a completely non-partisan rant. Morons on both sides of the aisle pull this crap.