600-series Proterra BE40/ZX5 - Updates

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

So your telling me it pulls in on the #65 grand? ( Hmm... yes it does just checked)

Wow they run 2 routes now 66 and 65

[Shannoncvpi]

4 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Well i don't want an all electric CTA because CTA will be boring. Diesel is Chicago.

He'll yea it will be

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

Just now, Shannoncvpi said:

He'll yea it will be

Ikr

[BusHunter]

Ahh!! Now #600's run in the afternoon. Run 816. It must be hot on there no hopper windows. Do you think the AC works or it needs charging. Should come working from the factory. My bus has where the mechanics can turn it off and on. Dont know how cta has it. I'm currently sweating on the bus that's why I ask. 

[BusHunter]

6 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Ahh!! Now #600's run in the afternoon. Run 816. It must be hot on there no hopper windows. Do you think the AC works or it needs charging. Should come working from the factory. My bus has where the mechanics can turn it off and on. Dont know how cta has it. I'm currently sweating on the bus that's why I ask. 

Hmm that run #816 runs from 730am to 530pm. #600 was out for 10 hrs today. Another bus was out for 10 hrs on Monday. (#605)

[YoungBusLover]

6 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Hmm that run #816 runs from 730am to 530pm. #600 was out for 10 hrs today. Another bus was out for 10 hrs on Monday. (#605)

That's a very good sign minus the heat being an issue as you noted. 

[BusHunter]

2 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

That's a very good sign minus the heat being an issue as you noted. 

Yeah. It was warm on these buses yesterday. I would have liked to see how it was but I was working myself. Was out in morgan park and east 75th area and 103rd was really running the #8325's. I think that's the preferred bus of 103rd.

#600 must be running the best so far. It's out for another 10 hr shift. Run #816 again.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

20 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Yeah. It was warm on these buses yesterday. I would have liked to see how it was but I was working myself. Was out in morgan park and east 75th area and 103rd was really running the #8325's. I think that's the preferred bus of 103rd.

#600 must be running the best so far. It's out for another 10 hr shift. Run #816 again.

Cool so 600 and 603 perform the best I can tell too since I see they’re the ones that are out the most often.?

[BusHunter]

8 minutes ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Cool so 600 and 603 perform the best I can tell too since I see they’re the ones that are out the most often.?

#605 was out for 10 hrs on Monday. Where is #601? Maybe testing internally?

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

2 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

#605 was out for 10 hrs on Monday. Where is #601? Maybe testing internally?

I guess 601 and 604 are still testing at Chicago garage and aren’t ready for the streets yet

[Guest]

Based on past attempts, not just with CTA, but in other cities  This electric bus technology dosent seem to have a solid ground. I understand its still a "work in progress"  Bu tit seems theres lots of issues to work out or this rollout wouldnt have taken so long. They should just go back to trolley coaches!   

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

4 minutes ago, CTA5750 said:

Based on past attempts, not just with CTA, but in other cities  This electric bus technology dosent seem to have a solid ground. I understand its still a "work in progress"  Bu tit seems theres lots of issues to work out or this rollout wouldnt have taken so long. They should just go back to trolley coaches!   

And also they only testing 2 buses now on the streets 600 and 603 on the 65 and 66 and the others aren’t running now

[YoungBusLover]

25 minutes ago, CTA5750 said:

Based on past attempts, not just with CTA, but in other cities  This electric bus technology dosent seem to have a solid ground. I understand its still a "work in progress"  Bu tit seems theres lots of issues to work out or this rollout wouldnt have taken so long. They should just go back to trolley coaches!   

If it were only possible. CTA could learn a thing or two from MUNI and Seattle Metro as far as trolley buses are concerned.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

1 minute ago, YoungBusLover said:

If it were only possible. CTA could learn a thing or two from MUNI and Seattle Metro as far as trolley buses are concerned.

And it’s going to probably take a long time to get the wires back up as well since it’s a complex system 

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

And it’s going to probably take a long time to get the wires back up as well since it’s a complex system 

But it worked!!! The electric bus of today dosent seem to have found its niche yet! I remember a few years ago comedian Jay Leno made a video which is still on YT, testing the Proterra bus. That was eight years ago! And a New Flyer electric rebuilt by Complete Coach Works. In 2021 there isnt a bus system that still has yet to operate and equip a system to handle these types of electric buses now. Im certainly not sold on it! Electric vehicles still dont seem to have a foothold yet!    

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, CTA5750 said:

But it worked!!! The electric bus of today dosent seem to have found its niche yet! I remember a few years ago comedian Jay Leno made a video which is still on YT, testing the Proterra bus. That was eight years ago! And a New Flyer electric rebuilt by Complete Coach Works. In 2021 there isnt a bus system that still has yet to operate facilities and equip to handle these types of electric buses now. Im certainly not sold on it! Electric vehicles have been around for some time. But are still being tested and tested! So It seems to not have a foothold yet!    

 

[jajuan]

On 4/6/2021 at 11:49 AM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Well i don't want an all electric CTA because CTA will be boring. Diesel is Chicago.

 

On 4/6/2021 at 12:02 PM, YoungBusLover said:

That was sarcasm by the way, going at least 50% electric isn't that bad as long as its more reliable by the time 2040 roles around. 

Given how hard it is to get transit capital projects funded even when local, state and the federal governments can get past partisan arguments long enough to get things done, I still say that personally I think the 2030 goal (LA County Metro), 2035 goal (MUNI and some other transit operators). and even the 2040 goal of our own CTA and some others are still somewhat overly optimistic. For one thing, the bus purchases have to be funded. CTA hasn't always been financially stable on that front, which is why it's used purchase piggybacks on existing contracts from other operators to obtain NF artics 4150-4207 and the NF hybrid and diesel LFR models that make up the 4300s. It's also why CTA started the policy of running bus models through rehabilitation programs to extend their useful lives beyond the FTA standard of 12 years. Even when CTA does get newer buses, it takes a heck of a long time for it completely retire older bus series. In fact, the rehabbing of buses and the slow rate at which CTA puts out its own contract awards for new buses worked together to allow CTA to fall back into habit of holding on to bus models for 20 years or more when at the time it retired off the Americanas and soon after it acquired the ill fated 7500s and after that the 1000s, its stated goal and policy was not to do that anymore and keep average bus age from getting as high as it was during the Americanas' retirement. Now we have the 6400s still around after just under 20 years when the base order of 7900s and the 4300s together should have knocked them off a few years ago. The NF 1000s are on average range 12 to 15 years in age, and the 4000s among the artics are already easing into that 12 year range. All that doesn't get into the fact that the CTA needs to have charging stations installed not only all its garages but also every bus terminal and layover point across the city. And as CTA5750 and others have mentioned, the technology of the buses themselves are still pretty much prototype status and not yet a full proven technology. Pace has at least taken a more realistic path of moving over to CNG buses, which have been a proven bus technology for decades.

 

[BusHunter]

To say your agency will be all electric is a bold statement. No one has done it or even come close except for a few small agencies and they are a quarter to a half. First you need Elon Musk money. Then you need to hire 100s of workers to build the infrastructure. I think well have driverless vehicles before we have all electric. It's nice to dabble in the future but you cant lose sight of the present because the present brings you to the future. A little experimentation is ok, but dont put all your eggs in one basket just yet. 

To show how tech is getting better the new Silverado electric pickup that Chevy is bringing out says it does 400 miles on a full electric charge. No car not even Tesla can say that!! Eventually they may have enough battery power you wont need charging stations at least at the terminals.

[Kevin]

29 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

To show how tech is getting better the new Silverado electric pickup that Chevy is bringing out says it does 400 miles on a full electric charge. No car not even Tesla can say that!! Eventually they may have enough battery power you wont need charging stations at least at the terminals.

The Tesla Semi will do up to 500 miles.

[jajuan]

On 4/6/2021 at 11:49 AM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Well i don't want an all electric CTA because CTA will be boring. Diesel is Chicago.

San Diego's MTS has an electric powered Gillig low floor model that doesn't sound all that bad. The CPTDB wiki doesn't say what motor is in this particular model for MTS, but its entry for Gillig itself says that the Gillig low floor EV comes with a choice for either a BAESystems Series-EV electric motor or a Cummins Battery System motor. Given the growl that  hybrid buses with a BAE engine and diesel buses with Cummins engines have historically had, it's no surprise that the electric Gillig low floors in San Diego don't sound all that boring.

On 4/6/2021 at 2:50 PM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Wow they run 2 routes now 66 and 65

 Not too much of a surprise since both end at Navy Pier, and Navy Pier has the charging station inside the bus terminal.

[Tcmetro]

The bus fleet in Shenzhen, China is completely electric and it numbers about 16,000.

West Coast cities seem to be making the most inroads on electric operations. AVTA (Palmdale/Lancaster, CA) is almost entirely electric. Los Angeles Metro should have 100 electrics in service this year and King County Metro in Seattle should have 123 electrics in service this year. The new Gillig model is probably going open up more fleets to become electric. 

The new transportation plan that the Biden administration is pushing calls for billions of dollars to be invested in electric vehicles and has a target of 50,000 electric buses across the US.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

11 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

The bus fleet in Shenzhen, China is completely electric and it numbers about 16,000.

West Coast cities seem to be making the most inroads on electric operations. AVTA (Palmdale/Lancaster, CA) is almost entirely electric. Los Angeles Metro should have 100 electrics in service this year and King County Metro in Seattle should have 123 electrics in service this year. The new Gillig model is probably going open up more fleets to become electric. 

The new transportation plan that the Biden administration is pushing calls for billions of dollars to be invested in electric vehicles and has a target of 50,000 electric buses across the US.

Shenzhen has 16,000 buses in its fleet that are 100% electric ?

[busfan2847]

2 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Shenzhen has 16,000 buses in its fleet that are 100% electric ?

Yes. See

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/shenzhen-electric-buses-public-transport

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

51 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

Yes. See

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/shenzhen-electric-buses-public-transport

That’s amazing!

[ycu2455]

6 hours ago, busfan2847 said:

Yes. See

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/shenzhen-electric-buses-public-transport

Transit agencies in China have received massive fundings from central government to support electric vehicles.

A typical electric bus in China costs 1/2 or even 1/3 than in US while the lifespan is also limited to 8-10 years.

Not all electric buses in Shenzhen are BYD... Even though BYD in US could be skeptical, its products have better performance than other local manufacturers in China.