Public and Commercial Transport

[mickthemaverick]

My daughter just sent me this link about her husband's company:

https://asianaviation.com/neom-and-volo ... t-venture/

[CitroJim]

My daughter just sent me this link about her husband's company:

https://asianaviation.com/neom-and-volo ... t-venture/

Neat, I like that.. Never get caught in a traffic jam again!

[Gibbo2286]

[mickthemaverick]

They say they are building a 21st Century Railway but judging by the time, money and effort so far perhaps they should have designed a 22nd Century Railway!!

[Dormouse]

Would have been quicker to bore Hyperloop tunnels or is drilling in Cheshire still called Fracking?

[NewcastleFalcon]

A month or so in the doldrums but there are always news stories and links to provide content for this thread.

The Tesla Semi got a bit of an airing here over on the Electric Vehicles thread with a couple of excellent posts, from Dormouse and Martin.

Tesla have issued a video of one of its Semi Rigs doing a 500 mile journey on one charge saying that if it wasn't for the hills on the route it would have been nearer 600 miles.
Eh! There can't be many places in the world with flat roads for 600 miles. Real World performance is what most of us experience.

There is a lot of negativity online about Tesla trucks. I just can't sort out how much is purely aimed at Elon Musk and how much will be true.

I am very keen to see how the world of electric HGVs pans out. I passed my HGV test 4 months ago, and have been driving 44t artics since. This follows a long and varied career managing teams of people engineering electric cars, so I would consider myself to be reasonably knowledgable of the technology, opportunities and challenges.

The breadth of use cases for HGVs is vast. As trucks are limited to anywhere between 52 & 56mph, and drivers have a very rigid set of legislations about how much driving can be done in a day, 500 miles is plenty for almost all HGV shifts. The key will be charging, as in my experience, trucks are very often worked 24x7 in two shifts so need to be able to replenish that 500 miles between shifts.

The challenge Tesla face - in my view at least - is of reputation and trust. HGVs are often expected to last 1.5 million miles or so, and any downtime/breakdown during their life is hugely impactful on a haulier's bottom line. Would you be keen to be an early adopter of a new brand in that scenario I wonder.

Speaking as a driver though, an electric powertrain in an HGV makes so much sense. Overcoming inertia to get 44 tons moving from a stop needs mountains of torque. Maintaining speed at weight up even the shallowest of hills needs torque. Motors are great at this. Conversely, harvesting energy through regeneration when stopping, or descending hills gives you vast amounts of free energy to get you going again.

Exciting times. Unfortunately, the retail price of these electric trucks is generally 3 times that of their diesel equivalent, so the payback period is long. Anything that stops you putting £1,000 of diesel a week on the company fuel card has got to be attractive though.

Martin.

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I have just watched that Tesla vieo for the first time and I have to say they have clearly missed a trick. With the adoption of the centre single seat cab I would have thought the "bathroom break" could have been avoided and thus improve production by x%
A simple vacuum tube rising from the front of the seat when needed could take care of the basic requirements?

[NewcastleFalcon]

I am quite used to "The Electric Viking" and enjoy his content. Others may take time to get used to him. What he does is do a very decent job of being up to date on latest developments in EV's and is very productive with his vlog posts often up to 4 per day.

Fairly recent posts on the TESLA semi
..the competition...chuntering on in the background



Regards Neil

[myglaren]

He is far more listenable to than the majority of other presenters.

[Gibbo2286]

He is far more listenable to than the majority of other presenters.

Well having watched those two videos I wonder how much Tesla are paying him.

[Gibbo2286]

On Friday I had an appointment at the eye clinic for a post-op check up, they said 'don't drive because we will be putting drops in your eyes.'
My pal who would usually give me a lift is down with flu so I opted to go on the bus.
The journey needed two buses each way a one hour ten minutes into Gloucester then. fifteen minutes on to Barnwood and a ten minute walk each way to the clinic.
Twenty minutes at the clinic and all done.
I have to admire the bus drivers threading that big double decker through the narrow lanes and the chicanes of haphazardly parked cars and trucks parked half on the footpaths, the bus was damned cold and the ride was about as bumpy as a Citroen with all the spheres collapsed.
Job done though so I can chuck the specs away, sight's better than it's been for thirty years.

[myglaren]

Just been reading about the two quid bus tickets and thought it sounds a good idea.
Then realised that I can travel free on the busses.





If it wasn't for smokers and folks doused in perfume, aftershave, deodorant...

[Gibbo2286]

Just been reading about the two quid bus tickets and thought it sounds a good idea.
Then realised that I can travel free on the busses.





If it wasn't for smokers and folks doused in perfume, aftershave, deodorant...

Me too, first time I've used the bus pass.

[mickthemaverick]

These posts together with my recent return trips to Luton airport have given me an idea. I wonder if a tour of the country is a possible by bus pass alone? Could be an alternative cheap touring holiday for the late spring early summer period when the schools are in session and B&B prices lower? Any other potential adventurers out there?

[CitroJim]

These posts together with my recent return trips to Luton airport have given me an idea. I wonder if a tour of the country is a possible by bus pass alone? Could be an alternative cheap touring holiday for the late spring early summer period when the schools are in session and B&B prices lower? Any other potential adventurers out there?

Yes, it certainly was fairly recently Mick as there's been reports of people completing LEJOG (Lands End to John O Groats) by this method..

Took them a while though but hey, when you are retired, who cares