Hydrogen Hybrid Bus To Help With 2010 Olympic Commutes

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Jan 21, 2010.

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  1. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    It still surprises me when I see news about hydrogen and hybrid technologies with the phrase "University of South Carolina" in it, but that's what we have here. My great alma mater has surprisingly become a hub for advanced fuel technologies, and for the 2010 Winter Olympics they are lending out the Hydrogen Hybrid Bus to Victoria, British Columbia. The Olympics should be a great opportunity to further test the bus since up to this point it has only been tested in the relatively mild climate of Columbia, South Carolina. According to MidlandsBiz.com:
    A purpose-built, 35-foot, 37 passenger bus, the Hydrogen Hybrid Bus begins its journey north, leaving and travel to Golden, Colorado where it will be serviced for cold weather operation and then proceed to Victoria, British Columbia for transit operation. Pending final approval from the Canadian Government, the bus will begin carrying passengers for approximately one month to support the influx of visitors to Victoria during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The bus has been in Columbia undergoing testing since August of 2009. Upon completion of the BC Transit demonstration, the bus will return to Columbia to become part of the University of South Carolina transit fleet.​
    Facts about the Hydrogen Hybrid Bus: A prototype, the Hydrogen Hybrid Bus was built by Proterra with funding from the Federal Transit Administration as part of the National Fuel Cell Bus Program, managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment. The demonstration in Columbia, SC is the result of a partnership of local agencies and businesses including, The South Carolina Research Authority, (SCRA), Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA), The City of Columbia, Signature Transportation Services, Big Fish Advertising and Public Relations, and The University of South Carolina. The Hydrogen Hybrid Bus is engaged in a three-year demonstration and evaluation project to prove the feasibility of advanced, hydrogen fuel cell technology applications for mass transit. The primary mission of the demonstration program is to gather and transmit data to federal and state agencies on the bus’ performance including the onboard fuel cells and fast charge battery components. All of the captured data is sent to various locations for evaluation, including the National Renewable Energies Laboratory in Colorado for public reporting. South Carolina and USC, were the first choice of bus demonstration and evaluation locations because of their prominence in fuel cell and hydrogen research. Read more over on MidlandBiz.com
     
    #1 Danny, Jan 21, 2010
  2. hampdenwireless

    hampdenwireless Active Member

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    Somewhere there is a Nissan Murano that is missing its tail lights!
     
    #2 hampdenwireless, Jan 21, 2010
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah and GM's all over the place with the Olympics. Oddly enough, their fleet includes a LOT of new Chevy Traverses..... You'd figure they use a Tahoe Hybrid instead.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Jan 21, 2010
  4. seftonm

    seftonm Member

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    Strange looking taillight combo. New Flyer also delivered some hydrogen buses to Vancouver for the Olympics. I'm a bit biased, but am starting to like the look of the restyled New Flyers.
     
    #4 seftonm, Jan 22, 2010
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    We'e had a myriad of test buses... I've seen a Two-Mode Hybrid bus (it was really cool to ride that one) as well as a biodiesel bus.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Jan 22, 2010
  6. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I wonder where the snow is. What were they thinking, holding Winter Olympics in Vancouver? Whistler should be fine, but the local hills are green and brown, not white. Alternate sports will include water skiing, sailing, golf, and mud wrestling. :cool:

    And a big thumbs down on the hydrogen bus. We should have bought trains.
     
    #6 hyo silver, Jan 22, 2010
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes. Where's the Royal Hudson??
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Jan 23, 2010
  8. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    2860 lives in Squamish now, though it will be active again in early February for a run out to White Rock and back. Check this out if you're interested.

    As beautiful as the Hudson is, I was thinking of something a little newer and more efficient for the Olympics, like maybe a tilting train to handle the many curves on the route from Vancouver to Whistler. Even the old RDCs would move more people with less impact than buses could.
     
    #8 hyo silver, Jan 23, 2010
  9. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    That didn't go well at all for the the Republican Convention, here last year.

    40 of those monsterous guzzling Two-Mode hybrids sent a very interesting message about their "green" intentions.
    .
     
    #9 john1701a, Jan 23, 2010
  10. tf4624

    tf4624 Active Member

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    LOL... Hydrogen.. LOL.. got my prius using it lol
     
    #10 tf4624, Jan 23, 2010
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Better than a fleet of non hybrid Traverses. Besides, what other hybrids does GM have?


    Ok fine but any train would work since it can carry a lot of people and has its own set of rails. Have you seen the new Bombardier trams running from the Olympic Village Station to Granville Island?
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Jan 25, 2010
  12. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    My favorite hydrogen comment:

    Hydrogen autos ... in just 5 to 10 years.
    And it always will be.
    :p

    What that bus needs is a sticker on the back that states:
    "The only thing more expensive & wasteful than the cash it too to build this, is the expense & waste it'd cost for infrastructure".
    Ok, it IS a bit wordy ... but still.
     
    #12 hill, Jan 25, 2010
  13. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Hydrogen...the 'gift' that keeps on taking. ? :)

    No, I haven't seen those new trams yet, though I have read about them and have seen a few pictures. Apparently they're being 'rented' from Belgium! Whether they were shipped over from Europe or diverted en route from the Eastern Canadian factory, I don't know. They are very nice, but putting the original designs back in permanent operation would be a huge tourist draw. Think cable cars in San Francisco.

    Passenger trains of any type to Whistler and back could be effective. Given the terrain, a tilting design has the potential to be significantly faster. Alas, freight trains have the priority on that line.
     
    #13 hyo silver, Jan 25, 2010
  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well we are the only 1st world country that doesn't have a super highway connecting all major cities... I don't expect any sort of expansion of transportation corridors any time soon (esp. with 2 mountain ranges in the way... could be costly)
     
    #14 Tideland Prius, Jan 25, 2010
  15. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Two mountain ranges? More like six or seven.

    The Coast range, Cascades, Bugaboos, Purcells, Monashee, Selkirks, Rockies....not in any particular order. :)
     
    #15 hyo silver, Jan 26, 2010
  16. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Pardon? Been to Australia lately or are we second or third world?

    Why not a solar bus?
    http://www.evfestival.com.au/assets/docs/tindofactsheet.pdf
     
    #16 patsparks, Jan 26, 2010
  17. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    What about I-90 and I-94? I thought Canadians considered those part of their highway system. ;)

    Tom
     
    #17 qbee42, Jan 26, 2010
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Oh yeah... I forgot yours is gravel LOL. Ours is paved... but one lane each way.

    ok fiiiine. You're just giving Harper more reason not to help fund one. (not that I think we need one but frankly if they're not gonna upgrade the rail system, then upgrade the roads so that the truckers can feel safe)

    lol. I take it that's south of the Great Lakes? I wouldn't know because I stuck to our side of the border when I drove by.
     
    #18 Tideland Prius, Jan 26, 2010
  19. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    No matter how you count the ranges, the mountains are a formidable obstacle to both road and rail. The natural flow, at least geographically, is North/South, which had a great deal to do with building the railway in the first place. Most goods and passengers could be moved more efficiently by rail, but VIA has priced the cross-country trip far out of most people's reach. (Last time we looked at doing it, we bought a car instead.) Capacity is an issue for the railways as well, which reminds me of my favourite political quote of all time, by the infamous Rhinoceros Party: "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, even on a double twack." :)
     
    #19 hyo silver, Jan 27, 2010
  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well unfortunately they decided that from the Great Lakes to the magical Pacific, the border shall lie on the 49th parallel. No one ever thought about the arctic and set the border at the 100° longitude lol.
     
    #20 Tideland Prius, Jan 27, 2010
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