Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[D.O.G.]

On the topic of pickup verses car and trailer, if you only need to move bulky items occasionally, a car and trailer wins hands down.

I recently completed a quick 1000 Km road trip with my i30 (1.8 litre, Auto) pulling an 8' x 5' box trailer (just a bit wider than the car).
The i30 has a lifetime average of 39 MPG at present, the FE for the two fills while towing only dropped to 30 MPG. That's a drop of 9 MPG, but only for 1000 Km of the 18000 Km I've put on the car since purchase last year.

Keep in mind, I can fit a fair bit in the i30 hatchback with the rear seats folded flat before having to use that trailer. I've made the same road trip with the car stuffed to the gills and still got 38 MPG.

[AlexanderB]

Busses with passenger trailers I haven't seen, but 'harmonica' busses have been around since forever




They run double-jointed ones over here too. Apparently busses are more flexible than lightrail and do the same job. Who knew.

..and then I googled, and it turns out 1 of the local bus companies imported a swiss bus-trailer to extend the capacity of busses during rush hour. Too bad transporting people in a trailer is banned in the country, so after a few test drives in 2015, nothing further happened with it.

Youtube clip: https://youtu.be/MAYYf9CRrTg

And of course, holiday busses with trailers to take bicycles in summer and ski gear in winter.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by AlexanderB

Apparently busses are more flexible than lightrail and do the same job. Who knew.

Sadly, they're also easier to cut when budgets are tight. Folks who use the bus over here tend to be in all sorts of demographics that don't have political clout, and anyone who sees a bus go by nearly empty starts screaming "government waste!"

[AlexanderB]

Busses here are privatized, and for some reason, the people who use them do have a lot of political clout, or they wouldn't be the same people trying to ban cars.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

Sadly, they're also easier to cut when budgets are tight. Folks who use the bus over here tend to be in all sorts of demographics that don't have political clout, and anyone who sees a bus go by nearly empty starts screaming "government waste!"

A government employee doing nothing but burning fuel is the definition of waste.

Doesn’t matter anyhow, busses will be all but extinct in about 20 years as autonomous EVs take people from where they are, to where they want to be, rather than from where they aren’t, to not quite where they’d like to be.

I’d say let’s stop wasting money on a dying platform and get ahead of the curve.

[freebeard]

Can we keep the buses running until the curve catches up?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Can we keep the buses running until the curve catches up?

Lol, I suppose that does make more sense...

or at least until you get an Arcimoto.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

A government employee doing nothing but burning fuel is the definition of waste.

And that's why they're so quick to get cut. A bus route that's operating gives people options and makes public transit more viable. There's a lot more being provided than simply moving a couple of butts right now- knowing that one will be along soon lets you actually depend on it for real transportation. I've been in cities where figuring out routes and schedules was nearly impossible with the "except during these times" and whatnot. I'd hate to have my job depend on needing them.

I'd rather see a service not being used to capacity than see needs not being served. Having any transit at all is wasted if it excludes people, and have you seen the reports on the study that "ride sharing" services make congestion worse? EVs are great, but if it's one or two passengers per EV, it's just eco friendly gridlock. Busses aren't door to door, but being able to carry more people per vehicle gives a lot of value, even if you have to walk a block and wait ten minutes to get one.

[freebeard]

I've watched the local transit district evolve from school buses to articulated hybrids.

I'm a fan of the Local Motors Olli


https://localmotors.com/wp-content/u...cal-Motors.jpg

They could circulate as little trains that couple and decouple on the fly.

[NeilBlanchard]

I put a trailer hitch with a 2" receiver on our Chevy Bolt EV, and the wiring harness was designed for a Volt; and it works for taillights and brake lights. I also got a 5'x8' mesh trailer from Lowes (they had it on sale for $730).

Altogether, it is good for 1 ton gross (1,650 load), with a maximum 200 pound tongue weight. I have used it twice (to carry our chicken coop, and then the chicken run) and I need to see it it fits my PEBL. It will be close. Unfortunately, the tailgate ramp is not removable.

The Bolt is an excellent tow vehicle. Smooth controllable torque, and a relatively short wheelbase means that it is easy to drive, and easier than most to back up.