My article comparing capital costs of bus electrification -battery bus (BEB) vs battery-trolleybus (BTB). For large-scale, heavy duty operations, the idea BEBs will be cheaper than battery-trolleybus may be an illusion. Special thanks to @andresediez

@ckrueger99 Two issues, both relating to the lower level of oxygen in the atmosphere. One is public health: diesel fumes have an even worse effect on air quality. The second is the performance of diesel engines is adversely affected by the lower percentage of oxygen in the air.

RT @Jebadoo2: 1/ In 1877 Lord Justice Lindley warned that vulnerable people can be tricked and misled, and that fraudsters can exercise "sp…

@ckrueger99 In some ways, yes, given the success of the airport line. But in other ways, no. If you have the patience, you can read a translation of the source article. I can't count the number of times that Skoda raised objections to the competition authorities.

@54JohnBull @7Kiwi If only they had kept Ratcliffe online for one more winter.

Nancy, France. Some of the new fleet of Hess double articulated trolleybuses were out today doing demonstration runs. The new system opens in April.

@GarethDennis Having suffered various forms of bad customer service in 2024, my sceptical take on AI is that it will help large organisations to provide even worse customer service at a much lower cost to themselves.

ICYMI here was my previous tweet from the conference

@rivergecko @gregpiper @ElectricBus2 @UrbanistOrg Sorry, battery buses are not cheaper, either in terms of upfront costs or on a total cost of ownership basis. While their fuel and vehicle costs are lower, they need at least 20% larger fleet and larger garages, more drivers for the larger fleet, plus expensive power installation

@gregpiper @citytransportin @UrbanistOrg I was in Salzburg- one of the best trolleybus systems in Europe- for a week. I didn’t see one dewirement in seven days. The key factors are most likely: good system design, good maintenance and good training for drivers. Am I right that KCM uses a lot of part time drivers?

@mark_townend @humantransit @mp3michael While we’re at it, the wheel has been around since time immemorial, so even driverless cars are based on very old technology. Let’s go for driverless hovercraft cars 😊 /s

@HystoryUnsolved @ScipioAfric6 @earthcurated For your information, Austria was the leading entity within the Holy Roman Empire. When the German Confederation was formed after the Napoleonic Wars, Austria held the presidency. The idea that Austrians are not German only took hold after the World War II.

@historicalobs @HystoryUnsolved @earthcurated It wasn't in Austria during his lifetime. it was part of the Bavarian Kreis of the Holy Roman Empire. Moreover at that time Austrians regarded themselves as Germans - in the generic cultural sense

@JoeBrownLondon @driverbod125 There I was, fondly imagining that it would enable one or two morning rush hour “extras” starting from Richmond to Waterloo. N.B. IIRC there was also a crossover from the down to the up line to enable a short train to terminate at Platform 3.

@xiaowang1984 @scribblesonnapk Studies show that HVAC consumes over 50% of the energy that an electric bus uses in very cold or very hot weather. The result: daily ranges for battery buses fluctuate wildly. You cannot run a reliable bus service on that basis. That’s why trolleybuses would be better for the T.

@AlChil13 @CharlesFLehman @mattyglesias Sure, Biden/Harris followed by Trump 2.0 is a great advertisement for the American system. The only saving grace is they are all controlled by the ��blob” anyway

One amazing detail. The project for the line got final approval in early 2022 and construction took from 29 November 2022 to 27 February 2024 - a mere 15 months. Can you imagine a major bus electrification project anywhere in the angloshere being completed so quickly?