New Electric Buses Could Change Public Transit Forever

Electric cars might be what everyone is talking about these days, but one man believes that electric buses are the transportation of the future. Ryan Popple, who was one of Tesla's earlier employees created the startup Proterra and has designed a fancy new electric bus that was able to drive 258 miles on a single charge. That number is made even more impressive by the fact that 258 miles is more than most tiny electric cars are capable of going and also much farther than a typical city bus route for a day.

This means that these electric buses are already ready to replace the hundreds of thousands of diesel buses that are traveling around the United States. Most of these diesel buses only average less than five miles to the gallon and produce a lot of carbon pollution, soot, and carcinogens into the air, including arsenic.

Because the buses do not have to rely so heavily on fuel, they are cheaper over the lifetime of their use than alternative buses, like hybrid-diesel buses or those that rely on natural gas. These buses are also something anyone can use, which essentially democratizes one of the most advanced alternative transportation technologies in modern times. According to Popple, "We're taking a technology that's used to power $100,000 sports cars, and we're putting it into the absolute most accessible transportation asset in the country."

Just like Tesla, Proterra designed these electric buses from the ground up. "I think it's important to cut ties with the legacy technology," Popple added. "If you tell your engineering group one of the rules they have to stick by is they have to use all the old parts form the parts bin, you're going to end up with a terrible product."

Electric vehicles run in a fundamentally different way than traditional vehicles. In electric cars, the engine is no longer the heaviest part and you no longer have to worry about exhaust or a tank of flammable gasoline. New parts, including battery packs, also need to go into different places. There are new parts to the design that are optimized for electricity and have other advantages. The buses themselves are made from carbon fiber so they are extremely lightweight, which allows the battery system to be smaller. Additionally, because the bus isn't made of metal, it also doesn't rust and lasts longer on the road. The weight also has an evener distribution, which allows for better turning and acceleration.

In addition to that, it is also easier to be manufactured. According to Popple, "Long term, we have a huge advantage over steel bus manufacturers. They're building buses like you'd build a house. They build a steel frame, they rivet things onto it. At our factory, we take in a composite body just like an aircraft fuselage."

It should be noted that the 258 mile trip was in peak conditions. In real conditions, with a load of people, on a rough road, and with different weather conditions, the bus probably won't get such good mileage. However, the 258 miles is far more than necessary as the average city bus only travels 130 miles in a day. "We think we've now hit the range that really removes any sort of range anxiety," Popple added. "There's no physical reason why you couldn't deploy zero-emission, quiet, high-tech buses."

Right now, Popple is in talks with a number of U.S. transit agencies and, in five years, hopes to reach all of them. "We want to talk to that last agency that's about to buy the last set of diesel buses. I don't know why we're encouraging people to buy cars. It's a terrible investment, you're exposed to oil prices, you have insurance costs. What we should be doing is putting out low-carbon mass transit, and helping people get back to work for pennies a day as opposed to dollars."

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Could Our Roads Someday Charge Our Cars?

There's now a new study in London, England that could drastically improve the range of electric cars by designing roads that can charge these cars while you're driving along them. If you're not fortunate enough to have a Tesla or live close to a supercharging station, then your electric car battery won't take you very far. Electric cars get 260 miles to a full charge, but a regular gas car can get you 300 miles or more.

Highways England announced that they will be doing an 18-month trial with charging lanes. Unfortunately, the testing will not be open to public roads for right now. Through these trials, vehicles will be fitted with wireless technology and roads will be installed with special equipment to simulate motorway conditions. The electricity will be generated by electric cables put under the surface of the roads that will generate electromagnetic fields, which then will be picked up by a coil inside the device.

This trial will start later on this year and we'll get the full scoop after a contractor has been chosen for the job. Then following with actually using this project on real roads. Transport Minister Andrew Jones says that "the government is already committing £500 million over the next five years to keep Britain at the forefront of this technology."

Highways England's Chief Highways Engineer Mike Wilson says, "Vehicle technologies are advancing at an ever increasing pace and we’re committed to supporting the growth of ultra-low emissions vehicles on England’s motorways and major A roads. The off-road trials of wireless power technology will help to create a more sustainable road network for England and open up new opportunities for businesses that transport goods across the country."

Don't mistake this trial as being the first. There's a 7.5-mile road stretch in South Korea, that charges up electric buses as they drive, using a process called Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance (SMFIR). There's also a trial in Milton Keynes, England that shows buses being charged wirelessly through plates in the road. The only downside with this one was the buses had to stop moving to be able to charge.

This new scheme in London is way more ambitious and has a lot of positive potential in changing the electric car scene. Although there's been some skeptical questioning on this trial being efficient or just a waste of money, there's always room for battery technology improvements, so maybe these roads won't even need to be used in the future. No matter what, I think it could be a fun trial and could possibly be a big part of the world's future in new technology.

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Tesla Roadster Electric Car

Most people these days love to travel. Going out with the family or going on vacation is one of the most enjoyable times you can have. With the recent drop in gas prices, people are starting to travel more and more. But all that may be dwindling as gas prices are unexpectedly going back up, and fast.

But, there is one way to counteract the rising gas prices, an electric car. Until recently, most electric cars were small and were only good for short distances. But now, Tesla Motors has created a new breed of electric cars, and they are something to look out for.

The Tesla roadster is an amazing little car. Its electric, so everything is designed around saving fuel and preventing pollution. It all starts with the design. First off, the Energy Storage System (ESS) is comprised of thousands of consumer-grade lithium-ion batteries. The high-tech ESS is essentially the roadster's heart. The Vehicle Management System continuously monitors battery conditions. This allows the roadster to precisely monitor your available energy, battery performance, and battery history. The motor is small and only weighs about 115 pounds. However, it produces horsepower the same as some heavier internal combustion engines and unlike gas engines, the motor does not sacrifice mileage for performance. The chassis is lightweight, made out of extruded aluminum, but is created into a stiff structure with rear and front crumple zones which are integral design features. The Power Electronics Module (PEM) contains high-voltage electronics which allow for integrated battery charging and which also control the motor. The roadster has a motor output of up to 165 kw thanks to a tightly integrated system design between the PEM and motor.

One of the biggest drawbacks of having an electric car is that the car makes driving feel like a necessity. You don't get the same enthusiasm of driving an electric car as much as driving a normal car. The best thing about a car that runs an electricity and not gas is that electric power can be derived from many different sources. Solar power, nuclear sources, natural gas, coal, and wind power can all be transformed into electric energy. This makes the car obsolete proof if we one day come to a point where we no longer rely on gas. Nowadays, if you wanted to get a car with ridiculously great gas mileage, you would go for the hybrid o something like that. But these cars go from 0 to 60 in around 10 seconds. You save gas but are robbed of the enjoyment of driving. On the other hand, if you wanted to get a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, you would opt for the $300,000 sports cars which only get like 9 miles to the gallon. With the roadster, you can put trade offs like these behind you. This car gives you the energy efficiency you desire right along with the power of a sports car.

The performance of this thing is also great. The car goes from 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds reaching a top speed of 125 mph. The battery is expected to last for 5 years or 100,000 miles. You can travel around 220 miles on a single charge and it only takes around 3.5 hours to get a full charge using the Tesla Motors High Power Connector. But this is considered the slowest time for somebody charging from a completely dead battery. After you take your car out on a 100 mile trip, you can fully charge your battery in less than 2 hours. The roadster is also able to charge at a variety of places. You charge at home with your Tesla High Power Connector or you can charge on the road. The Tesla also has an optional Mobile Connector that allows you to charge from most standard electrical stored away in the trunk. The battery is also deemed by the federal government as non-hazardous waste is safe to dispose of with the normal waste. But most of the components in the battery are valuable, even after the battery is completely dead. many materials can be recovered and sold back to recycling companies for some quick cash.

It almost seems to good to be true. The Tesla Roadster is a pretty amazing little car. Its energy efficiency is expected from most electric cars, but the real selling point is the performance. This car performs just as good as any other expensive sports car but with a lower price and greener specs. If you are in the market for an energy efficient green car, or even a nice sports car, then the Tesla Roadster is definitley the way to go. Tesla has 4 different models of electric car: The Roadster, Roadster Sport, Model S, and Model S Signature. The Model S is the cheapest model selling for $49,000, followed by the Roadster for $101,500, and then the Roadster Sport for $101,500 base price + %19,500. The Model S Signature price is TBD.