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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.
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