The American bus revival

[gone7]

There is always more materials needed to be transported than can fit on a bicycle, and I am not sure if adding an air-conditioning system is a good idea. Without those the necessary storage and climate control, one is better off using an electric car because of convenience and function. A fairing at 20 degrees below zero is hardly going to keep on warm.

The US Interstate Hiway system was begun during Eisenhower's term as president. That was a national project, not private. The next step in that evolution is the creation of a national HiLoMag rail system for interstate travel. (It of course also solves the problem of extending the electric grid at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.)

Every single person interested in electric automobiles should become familiar with HiLoMag.

[Frank Lee]

A fairing at 20 degrees below zero is hardly going to keep on warm.

Winter gear and pedalling one's arse off works pretty well though, for shorter rides.

[gone7]

Right you are. For a very short ride. Provide one gets traction. Or not.

[Grant-53]

I did read the booklet on the HiLoMag and the concept of a dual mode system is a proven one even though we have not applied magnetic levitation technology to intercity rail systems yet. The cost of building and maintaining a high speed rail or maglev versus the interstate highway system is the 64 Trillion dollar question. A mile of interstate may cost $1 million to build and will need to be repaved every 10 years. What are the costs of a maglev system or high speed rail? We are in an area where the I 86 interstate is nearing completion. There is a cargo rail line but the curves in the river valleys are too sharp for high speed passenger trains. Plans are for a high speed line from Albany to Buffalo NY but the operation speed and track costs are still being discussed. No government entity has the budget at present to construct a national passenger rail system. Even the Obama adminstration is optimistic in proposing 2000 miles of new rail track. I worked in the passenger rail industry for six years and see the potential for intermodal systems.

The light weight mountain bike is seeing increased use locally especially with nearby Ithaca incorporating bus service with bike racks to the top of the hills. I commuted with a bike on the bus between Elmira and Waverly for a year. Traction is not a problem with the various tires available including studded ice tires. Carrying cargo with a trailer is easily managed. My personal commuting range on a bike is 10F to 95F. Evaporation cooling is easy enough to arrange at 10 mph.

At -20F a battery is not going to be very efficient and some kind of heater is needed for an electric vehicle. I may yet build an electric car for transporting my family. More likely it will be a 3 cyl. diesel running on natural gas depending on costs.

The big question for electric vehicles is the generation and storage of power. In WNY we are seeing coal fired generators shut down and more wind farms going up. This supplements the hydroelectric from the Niagara river that goes to NYC. Our big environmental issue has been the acid rain caused by coal fired generators in the midwest.

[gone7]

The mag-lev topic is off topic for here. I only wanted to mention it to show a better way. I hope everyone forgives my going on about it.

To discuss it further, please see my topic elsewhere.

Mass transit should be dead to all of us.

[gone7]

The best and most inexpensive battery right now that will meet your needs is the Firefly, but it comes in a large group 31 size; good for cars by not bikes. Add the large capacitor as is used by AFS Trinity in their electric hybrid SUV, and you have rapid excelleration and fast recovery. Hard to top an electric hybrid for long distances today. 150 mpg on electric and 60-80 mpg combined.

The grid is the big storage medium and the battery is the small storage medium. Problem solved (and in current use daily).

[Grant-53]

The price of fuel is now high enough to make the extra cost of a hybrid car economical if you can afford a new vehicle. A homemade biodiesel/electric car is possible too. In NYS there is a special class for less than highway speed electric vehicles. Since we have a graying population locally, the demand for electric bikes and scooters is growing. A capacitor system for electric bikes is ideal for stop and go traffic.
Lead acid batteries are heavy and have to be replaced every five years on average. One way to extend the life is to reduce the sulfate build up in the bottom of the cells. I saw an article where a circulating pump flushed the bottom of each cell. The recycling of batteries involves handling the sulfuric acid as well as the lead alloy.
Where population density warrants, a good diesel/electric bus or trolley system can be very efficient and convenient. In Third World countries private cars are beyond the financial means of most people. Increasingly that is becoming the case here. We have a decent county wide bus system and regional carriers that run to major cities. The big snag right now is that the county systems are not well coordinated.

[Grant-53]

Actually the big grid electric system does not have a storage mechanism but a load balancing system. A hydroelectric system can store water and a coal fired generator can stock pile fuel.
An advantage of human power vehicles beyond low cost and small spatial dimensions is the contribution to human health by reducing obesity and depression.

[gone7]

Hybrid vehicles are always an economical alternative; even when petroleum was cheap.

As I previously mentioned the Firefly battery, which is carbon-foam/acid instead of lead/acid, I am confident that it is the way to go. It it wouldn't last for at least ten years I'd be very surprised. And no sulfation. Inexpensive batteries are no longer a pipe dream.

What people who promote mass transit just don't seem to understand is that I, like most Americans, want to drive my own vehicle. I want it to be cheap, non-polluting and efficient. Nobody wants mass transit.

Oh, I suppose there are those who wish to get down and dirty with the masses, but I choose not to suffer the filth, disease, smell, and risk of violence these inconvenient means of transporation bring us.

As I said before, mass transit methods will never, ever be convenient, and they need to be allowed to die a quick and non-lingering death. They hold back innovation toward the future and help make the poor beholden to the wealthy who own them. They are, and will remain, a pox upon our nation.

[Grant-53]

Y'all must not be from around here. The buses here are neither crowded nor unclean.
If you want to drive an electric car, fine. Just remember that reality cannot be created or destroyed by ordinary wishful thinking. Several years ago I did an economic study on the average annual cost comparison of owning a Honda Civic gas engine vs hybrid; the breakeven point came out at $3.36/US gal. Prices and costs change so the price differences may be more favorable for the hybrid now.
What I learned in auto parts sales over the years is you don't try to sell a Chevy part to a Ford owner. Once I had a customer ask for a spark plug for his toilet. I could have burst out laughing or threw him out. Instead I asked the appropriate questions and made a sale. He had a waterless toilet that burned waste with propane. Point being we each have legitimate needs that can vary. Much of culture is based on geography. Here natural gas is plentiful so we use it. The carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees and crops. Cities have different needs. I will look into Firefly batteries.