Chinese electric-battery buses for Uruguay; the first arrive at end of 2012

Saturday, July 21st 2012 - 06:16 UTC

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China’ BYD has inked another strategic deal for its electric bus products, this time in Uruguay with one of the country’s leading tourism companies. The agreement was witnessed by Uruguay’s president Jose Mujica. Read full article

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ChrisR
“Uruguay ..........imports all of its petroleum. Promoting electric vehicles not only contributes to environmental protection and economic recovery, but it also improves Uruguay’s energy security”.

UTTER TWADDLE

Where does the electricity come from to charge these overweight behemoths?

Diesel alternators in the most part, very little comes from hydroelectric and vertually nothing is imported (which WOULD be cheaper) due to the antics of our 'good friends' across the Plate demanding (as ever) rediculously higher prices to transit their power grid thus stopping imports dead.

Diesel alternator sets are very useful for small countries where the diesel price is cheap, but they are reletively inefficient, certainly when comapared to gas turbine sets. ANCAP (the government monopoly) sees to it that no fuels are cheap in Uruguay being at least 10% over-priced due to the fiscal drag of a nationalised business.

So instead of putting the diesl directly into the buses, it will now be used in D/A sets, transmitted (with losses) into some sort of charging system, more I2R losses (heat in the charger) and then into a battery, which weighs an order of magnitude more than the diesel fuel system of a modern, particulate filtered bus.

With modern particulate systems even the environmental argument is false. AND, the maintenance costs are higher, especially when it comes to swapping the batteries (no mention of that by the manufacturer).

We should perhaps ask ourselves one question: why have no European countries purchased these buses? Answer: because they are expensive to run and maintain when compared to a modern diesel powered bus which is not limited to 250km, range.

I predict we shall see these things being towed back to the bus station for a recharge and them stranded on highways having depleted their charge.
Jul 25th, 2012 - 01:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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