Disney to begin testing an electric bus this summer

[ewensell3]

And add to that if the bus you want to get on has to wait behind an empty DD bus that's holding up at your stop because it has to recharge...

My point was that if they can charge within 10-15 minutes, that fits within the typical unload/load cycle. Little or no waiting for charge. If not, I would imagine the "dead" bus would move on to a nearby charge stall to make room for incoming buses.

Keep in mind we're talking about relatively short distances at WDW. My guess is the buses would be speced for a 25 mile range (maybe a bit extra to run the aircon), but it only needs to be charged enough to reach the next stop. Looking at maps, WDW property is around 10 miles at its widest point. Typical distance between stops looks to be about 5-10 miles. A high voltage/high current charging system should be able to provide that.

And if things work out in Geneva, we might be seeing 15-second "flash chargers". Although it looks like that system works more like a rail-less/wire-less tram system in a circular route. It only needs enough power to make it to the next stop which is probably only a mile or two away.

Edit - If I would have read the thread I would have seen these are Proterra buses. Wikipedia says the Proterra buses have a range of 30-40 miles. Proterra's website says their charging station takes the batteries to 95% in 10 minutes. Sounds to me a 5 minute charge would be enough to get to the next stop.

 

[Goofyernmost]

My point was that if they can charge within 10-15 minutes, that fits within the typical unload/load cycle. Little or no waiting for charge. If not, I would imagine the "dead" bus would move on to a nearby charge stall to make room for incoming buses.

Keep in mind we're talking about relatively short distances at WDW. My guess is the buses would be speced for a 25 mile range (maybe a bit extra to run the aircon), but it only needs to be charged enough to reach the next stop. Looking at maps, WDW property is around 10 miles at its widest point. Typical distance between stops looks to be about 5-10 miles. A high voltage/high current charging system should be able to provide that.

And if things work out in Geneva, we might be seeing 15-second "flash chargers". Although it looks like that system works more like a rail-less/wire-less tram system in a circular route. It only needs enough power to make it to the next stop which is probably only a mile or two away.

Edit - If I would have read the thread I would have seen these are Proterra buses. Wikipedia says the Proterra buses have a range of 30-40 miles. Proterra's website says their charging station takes the batteries to 95% in 10 minutes. Sounds to me a 5 minute charge would be enough to get to the next stop.

OK, I think the question is would they have one charger or a charger for every bus stop in the hub. If there are enough to cover every bus then it will work fine. If not and they have to share to some degree someone is going to get shorted if more that one bus needs to recharge. Can't see it working for a fleet this size.

 

[ewensell3]

OK, I think the question is would they have one charger or a charger for every bus stop in the hub. If there are enough to cover every bus then it will work fine. If not and they have to share to some degree someone is going to get shorted if more that one bus needs to recharge. Can't see it working for a fleet this size.

I always imagine it as each stall being a charging station. If the goal is to charge enough to make the next destination (5-10 miles, not the full 30-40 mile capacity), smaller "top-up" units should work.

Otherwise if a full-capacity charger is required for all charge operations then I suppose charger-per-stall probably isn't practical. There would probably only be one or more full charging units per hub. The buses would need to operate in a way such that it would recharge every second or third stop. The buses would be staggered to minimize contention. This would require an advanced dispatch system, which Disney seems to have been reluctant to implement with the existing fleet... But that's a whole other story.

Of course peak times at the parks are a completely different problem. Electrics would do fine between rush hours, but a fueled fleet would probably still be needed for park opening/closing times.

Even so, we'll just have to wait and see how the test works out.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I always imagine it as each stall being a charging station. If the goal is to charge enough to make the next destination (5-10 miles, not the full 30-40 mile capacity), smaller "top-up" units should work.

Otherwise if a full-capacity charger is required for all charge operations then I suppose charger-per-stall probably isn't practical. There would probably only be one or more full charging units per hub. The buses would need to operate in a way such that it would recharge every second or third stop. The buses would be staggered to minimize contention. This would require an advanced dispatch system, which Disney seems to have been reluctant to implement with the existing fleet... But that's a whole other story.

Of course peak times at the parks are a completely different problem. Electrics would do fine between rush hours, but a fueled fleet would probably still be needed for park opening/closing times.

Even so, we'll just have to wait and see how the test works out.

Yea, I guess your right about waiting, but, if I were to make an educated guess, having been in public bus transit, I'd say that it stands the same chance as the Monorail being extended to MCO. We are talking a lot of money when you factor in the increased cost of purchasing an electric vehicle the size of a bus. Not to mention the cost of charging units for each location. Not to mention the mentioned bus size which is way to small for any wide spread usage. Maybe as an employee shuttle, but not practical yet for overall passenger transportation, in my opinion.

 

[Dasnowz]

This month, Walt Disney World Transportation is scheduled to begin testing one all-electric bus.

During the test period the all-electric bus will run on routes at Walt Disney World Resort.

 

[DManRightHere]

"Disney is currently in the process of updating the regular bus fleet with more conventionally powered busses."

What are they updating too? Natural Gas?

How long does an electric bus run? Or will they use that magnet in the ground to charge method? Seems like the only way this would work. Put the magnets In the driving area at all bus stops, but do the magnets effect pacemakers?

 

[Dasnowz]

the bus for now has a backstage charging station.

They are only testing one bus the rest of this month

 

[raymusiccity]

Electric buses seem doable. There are multiple websites illustrating real time examples that are already up and running:

"Two all-electric buses began trolling the streets in Stockton, in central California’s San Joaquin Valley, on March 20.

The electric buses in Stockton recharge in 10 minutes using an automated rooftop recharger. The bus pulls under the charging unit. After it’s lowered on to the bus, the conductive charge is added at 500 kilowatts, and the bus rolls away with an additional 20 or so miles of range in its 72 kilowatt-hour battery pack—well beyond the range of a typical bus route.

Passengers can load and unload, and he driver can stay in the bus, during the recharging event. And the electric refueling is essentially an “opportunity charge” because the buses return to the same place on the route, and usually are idle for about 20 minutes—before the bus begins a new route. (There must be similar scenarios for certain types of electric cars that have common routes.)

The connection and controls of were developed by Proterra. Eaton built the chargers used in Stockton, but Proterra has worked with other companies as well, said Marc Gottschalk, Proterra’s chief business development officer.

The 35-foot buses, manufactured by Proterra, are the first pure electric transit buses in Northern California. But Proterra, based in Greenville, South Carolina, also has electric buses running in Pomona, Calif. and San Antonio, Tex. It has orders for between four and six buses from Worcester, Mass., Seneca, S. Car., and Reno, Nev., said Gottschalk, in an interview with PluginCars.com."...

 

[ford91exploder]

Absolutely. Noise is also greatly reduced. The sound of the pavement under the tires is louder than most electric cars I have heard.

Its why I bought a Hybrid, It's cool when running in electric mode you can glide along silently...

 

[Goofyernmost]

Its why I bought a Hybrid, It's cool when running in electric mode you can glide along silently...

Personally, I hate quiet. There is nothing louder to me then silence. I want to hear my world around me. I have Tinnitus from my years in the printing business. Silence around me amplifies the ringing to the point of total annoyance.

When it comes to machinery, I want to hear it. I want to know it's there and waiting for me to use it. White noise, as you can imagine, is a necessity for me to maintain my sanity (or what's left of it). White noise cancels out the ringing to the point of almost unnoticeable unless I think about it.

 

[Rob562]

There are systems out there that have an induction charging system built into a parking space, with the coils located underneath the vehicle. (This is essentially the same system that charges ride vehicles like UoE and GMR).

I wonder how well a system would work if they placed charging plates underneath all of the bus stops where buses typically stop for a few minutes at a time (mostly theme parks). While the bus is sitting there waiting, it could be topping off its battery.

-Rob

 

[ScoutN]

CAnt wait to see a long traffic jam with these things in them!

 

[ford91exploder]

CAnt wait to see a long traffic jam with these things in them!

You mean the traffic jam of tow trucks - after the initial traffic jam...