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Old 03-11-2022, 08:02 PM   #1
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Electric Bus FL to CA on Public Chargers

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Scotter Doll of Electrek 3-11-22

https://electrek.co/2022/03/11/van-h...-chargers/amp/



Van Hool double-decker electric bus with Proterra battery drives 2,500 miles from Florida to California on public chargers

North American motor coach seller ABC Companies has announced another successful trip across the US, this time using a Van Hool TDX25E all-electric bus. The double-decker motor coach was “Proterra Powered” and traveled 2,524 miles from Winter Garden, Florida, to Costa Mesa, California, using only public charging stations. This latest trip further showcases the potential of battery-electric buses, even larger models like the TDX25E.

ABC Companies is a family-owned sales and service company specializing in motor coaches in the US and Canada. As a leading passenger transportation provider in North America, ABC offers diverse products and services offerings that include a growing portfolio of EV models and charging support for a wide range of customer applications.

Overseas, Van Hool is a renowned name in large transport vehicles such as coach buses, tankers, and tram buses. Like many manufacturers in the commercial vehicle segment, Van Hool has begun electrifying its fleets in favor of zero-emissions travel.

One of these offerings includes the TDX25E – a 100% electric, 69-passenger double-decker bus. It’s the first of its kind to become available in the US, and the largest electric passenger vehicle on the road today, according to ABC Companies.

Last month, we covered news that ABC had completed a 1,700-mile demo drive using a “Proterra Powered” Van Hool CX45E electric bus. With its latest demonstration, the motor coach company and its partners have completed their longest journey to date, using a much larger Van Hool electric bus.

Van Hool electric bus averages 260 miles per charge
ABC Companies shared details of its latest (and longest) demonstration drive in a recent press release. The double-decker Van Hool electric bus was provided by ABC Companies and is powered by a Proterra battery system, delivering a storage capacity of 676 kWh.

Empire Coach Line provided the driver for the cross country drive that began at ABC’s HQ in Winter Garden, Florida. Over the course of six days, the TDX25E bus traversed 2,524 miles of US roads, reaching elevations over 5,000 feet and averaging 260 miles per charge before reaching the finish line at ABC’s Costa Mesa facility in California.

Roman Cornell, president and CCO ABC Companies, spoke to both successful electric bus drives completed so far this year:

_________________

Our 56-passenger CX45E, introduced in 2020 provided the inspiration and the impetus for fast-track development and deployment of the new double-deck TDX25E. Demand for these vehicles is very strong in many markets, and our technology partners, Van Hool and Proterra, have clearly demonstrated their ability to translate those demands into real-world solutions that can quickly integrate into fleets and provide reliable, repeatable results.
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During ABC Companies’ longest EV trip to date, the 45’ TDX25E averaged 2.08 kWh/mile during highway travel and a speed of 60 mph (top speed is 71 mph). While temperatures varied from 40-80F during the trip, the Van Hool electric bus averaged 260 miles projected range per charge and replenished at a rate of up to 147 kWh. This enabled charging times averaging 3.5 hours.
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Old 03-11-2022, 08:54 PM   #2
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Wowza 676 kWh
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Old 03-11-2022, 10:33 PM   #3
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I am sticking with my Diesel and 500 mile range with a 100 mile reserve and 15 minutes to refuel.
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Old 03-11-2022, 10:59 PM   #4
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(Correction)
In the heading above, I misspelled the author's name.
Scooter Doll is the correct spelling.


-------------------------
Quote:
=Rivetboy;467000]I am sticking with my Diesel and 500 mile range with a 100 mile reserve and 15 minutes to refuel.
Nealry a buck a mile, these days.
If prices keep rising, it will be cheaper to fill up our buses with lumber.
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Old 03-12-2022, 01:01 AM   #5
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256 miles between charges?????


Not worth a wooden nickle to me. Hell my current F350 and 5th wheel goes 500 miles between fills and the bus has a 125 gallon tank at 8.3mpg for 1,037 miles between fillup at freeway speeds, even further at 55mph
Someday they'll give up this BS. It probably won't happen until all the granola eaters get tired of the rolling blackouts because of the lack of fossil production and the increased demand from all the supposedly "green" electric motors and engines for everything from weed eaters to semi trucks.
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Old 03-12-2022, 06:21 AM   #6
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Wow, those are pretty nice numbers. If that is used as an intercity with an 45 min stop every 1-1/2 hour and top off then it can make it a long way.

I used to live in a vanhool citybus in Amsterdam. Happy to see that they are running in the front.

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Old 03-12-2022, 08:07 AM   #7
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Time is Money no matter when you spend it

Quote:
Originally Posted by joeblack5 View Post
Wow, those are pretty nice numbers. If that is used as an intercity with an 45 min stop every 1-1/2 hour and top off then it can make it a long way.

I used to live in a vanhool citybus in Amsterdam. Happy to see that they are running in the front.

Johan
I'd love to own a camping skoolie like this one.

50 years of camping & I've never driven that far between campgrounds. I always stay at least a few hours, usually days.

Filling up a full size bus actually does take hours. How many hours of work does one perform to earn the $500 tank of gas? Measured by this metric, It takes me 10 hours to fill our bus. Not standing around. Work. How much slavery will one endure in their life to repetitively purchace gasoline?

I wonder how much $$$ they spent crossing 2500 miles. I bet they saved a week of workhours.
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Old 03-12-2022, 08:30 AM   #8
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I'll bet some Tesla owner was real happy when next in line at the charging station and had to wait 3.5 hours.
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Old 03-12-2022, 08:40 AM   #9
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That is funny, I used to have a similar approach.. if enertaining cost more per hour then I was making per hour then that was a huge turn off.

I do not think there can be true freedom and equality if you do not balance the energy equation. However to do that by reducing our consumption or increasing renewables...
It is amazing to see that Europe / Germany cannot sustain without importing gas from Russia.. talking about freedom is skindeep if you setup your life that you have to rape the world somewhere even if it is not in your own country.

We just put another 8kw of solar on the roof..used sunpower panel at $0.30/ watt... the technical solutions are so available.

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Old 03-12-2022, 10:57 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by john61ct View Post
Wowza 676 kWh
That's just what I was thinking. I have .96 kWh. That must cost a fortune...and take up an enormous amount of space.
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Old 03-12-2022, 01:42 PM   #11
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If that bus is in an accident and catches fire (like so many Teslas do), I wonder for how many days or weeks the batteries will burn? Maybe it could become a roadside attraction, like the Cabazon dinosaurs or Wall Drug: "Where shall we go for our summer vacation this year? Hey, let's all go see the burning bus. It will be fun."

I can't imagine 69 passengers in a double-decker. I took an ETN Scania double-decker bus in Mexico a few years ago from Aguascalientes to CDMX, and it had only 25 seats. Mind you, it was very luxurious, with 2-and-1 seating, seatback screens, separate men's and women's loos, a small galley for hot and cold drinks, etc etc. Why isn't there the equivalent of that in this country?

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Old 03-12-2022, 02:18 PM   #12
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The key here is a mix of renewables and fossils.. trouble is politics are all or nothing in the world today.

My plug in hybrid Chevy volt was great. If that car had gone 100-150 miles on pure EV it would’ve been perfect. As it was with 50 miles range I drove most of my errands on EV but if I had lots of places to go or ran a long trip I had a gas engine to back me up and it drove like a regular hybrid.

To greenies it was a cop out “you aren’t doing good enough”.. to fossilists it was “terrible car. Just drove a gas guzzler instead”.

Mine was a lease and like all my cars I got rid of it after about 3 years as I like to drive brand new vehicles.

But PHEV solves a lot of things.. if you have solar or wind at home you could charge it with those but if those aren’t available you can drive on gas or charge on grid..

People really need to get over the all-or-nothing politics and then we could get someplace.
I’m like any other average consumer when it comes to my new cars. They need to do what I need and not be double the price.. just seeing all the nay sayers here spam down an electric trip and slam down electric cars of any type says we have a lot of grumpy old men driving the politics..

As I’ve mentioned before electric vehicles have a great place in certain settings.. EV school busses are perfect for local routes .. drive in the morning, solar bank charge the. During the high sun part of midday then drive them afternoon route then top them off over night when electric use is typically lower overall and they put less strain on the grid. Are they good for a cross country trip? Of course not. It’s not practical to stop for 3.5 hours every 4 hours..

Would I drive a Tesla cross country? Ie 30 minutes every 4 hours? Yes esp if charging stations became destinations .. I’d what if charging stations were also coffee shops and or restaraunts that you could charge and get work done on the laptop or grab a bite to eat..

Almost like a Sheetz store but with a tad nicer cafe..

And public charging needs to cost less than gas.. and right now in many places it doesn’t .. with a Tesla you may have partial or free charging depending on when it was bought or the current promotions but with other EV the public chargers prices rival gas at $3.75 a gallon for the average car.. people won’t adopt that..
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Old 03-12-2022, 03:42 PM   #13
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Talk about politics.
The great "green" slight of hand.
I'm done here.
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Old 03-12-2022, 05:59 PM   #14
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At this point, it is not the money. It is doing what we want to do. I know that not everyone has that option, but we do. My Dad always said that after good health you should be lucky!
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Old 03-12-2022, 06:03 PM   #15
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lets try it in sub zero weather
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Old 03-12-2022, 06:47 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmoore6856 View Post
lets try it in sub zero weather
Yep definitely an issue. Cold weather was an issue in my Chevy volt. I like a really warm cabin so I used a lot of battery with the heater… luckily I have a garage at home so charging rarely required battery heat but I did charge it a couple times outside to test and it took significantly longer.. same was tru of very hot weather when it came to charging. The A/C would come on to cool the battery..

Riverboy -I get if.. hence why I have a garage full of busses.. there’s no necessity for them but they make me happy… so o have them
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Old 03-12-2022, 08:24 PM   #17
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Old 03-12-2022, 08:27 PM   #18
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Thats a good Bingo!
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Old 03-12-2022, 08:40 PM   #19
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A 3.5 hour recharge after every 260 miles?

Yeeeeeaaaaaa . . . NO!
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Old 03-13-2022, 12:11 AM   #20
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A 3.5 hour recharge after every 260 miles?

Yeeeeeaaaaaa . . . NO!
I would do it. When I sell it all and start living in a bus full time, that will be the end of my being in a hurry to get anywhere. I also like the idea of the entire drive section taking the place of the rear axle. It would free up a lot of room by not needing an engine and the ancilliary systems needed to keep it going. Just need a row of batteries under the floor centered between the frame, or do what some of the European companies are doing and line the roof with them. It's still too early for me to look at as a conversion project, but as they go full bore with it they should come out with faster and better charging systems and better batteries.

Mind you, I'm no greenie. I'm fully behind the idea of running all this with breeder nuclear reactors sprinkled about the place. Wind and solar have their uses, but that use is not as base load for society. I also have no problem with burning fossil fuels in the meantime. I have a project truck I'm working on that is being built as an easy conversion to an EV down the road, but I'm more after the sub-2 second 0-60 times than anything else.
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