With the bus battery pack, they're talking in order of around $150,000
replacement cost and around eight years lifecycle. Proportionally, the same
sort of heart-stopping news that electric car owners are getting when their
cars get to that point. Custom Denning is planning to build a new electric
bus and truck manufacturing factory in western Sydney that will include
battery manufacture. Depending on the type of battery, maybe that is aimed
at getting the cost down? I don't anticipate any radical price plunge.

Tony P

On Sunday, 18 September 2022 at 16:05:56 UTC+10 Mal Rowe wrote:

>

> On 17/09/2022 22:43, TP wrote:

> > This has its parallels in the tram sector where not dissimilar

> > irrational proposals are argued and implemented, despite the fully

> > overhead-wired method being the cheapest (in both capex and opex) and

> > most reliable to operate. The in-motion charging (e.g. Parramatta)

> > option is second best, but the fully battery/opportunity charge method

> > (e.g. Newcastle) is a poor choice.

> >

> Thanks Tony, that's an interesting paper and (as you have said in the

> past) charging from overhead wires when available and running on stored

> energy for short sections of 'no wire' zones make sense.

>

> One small note: Newcastle uses 'super capacitors' as their primary

> energy storage device. The trams do have batteries as well but they are

> not the main energy storage device.

>

> Mal Rowe in a city that just does not notice well designed overhead

> wires ... but does notice grubby looking trams!

>