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Originally Posted by PHrenetic
IMO, Hybrids are not for this type of route.
The were meant for, and tested on (and did very well on) routes such as 5.
But as noted, OC does poorly on proper equipment assignment and use.
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I am not suggesting the use of hybrids (similar to the Orion VII Hybrid currently in use), but trolleybuses. The issue with hybrid buses is they use a serial design (the diesel motor can't drive the wheels directly but instead drives a generator, that charges the battery which powers electric motors which drive the wheels). Each stage adds inefficiencies. This disadvantage is compensated by the fact that diesel motor can run at its most efficient speed, it will shut off automatically when not needed (the HVAC runs off of battery, so it will continue to work) and regenerative braking will recharge the batteries. That is why they are most efficient on routes with low speeds and frequent stops.
For those who aren't familiar, trolleybuses are electric buses that use a pair of overhead wires to power the bus. They combine many of the advantages of a tram or street car, with many of the advantages of a bus. Vancouver has an extensive network of trolleybuses that have been in use since they took over from streetcars in the 50's and currently have both standard 12m/40' and articulated 18m/60' trolleybuses in service.
From
this post.
Originally trolleybuses had no backup power source, so if they lost connection, they would coast to a stop. This is obviously a big disadvantage, yet many cities (live Vancouver) continued to use them, since the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
Modern trolleybuses have some form of reserve power. This could be as simple as a supercapacitor to allow it get around small obsolesces, bridge dead spots or pull over at a convenient location, a battery to let it make detours or extend the route beyond the trolley infrastructure or ride out short to medium power outages, or diesel generator, to give it the flexibility to be used on other routes or continue working during extended outages.
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Given the preliminary design that has been reached to this point, surface LRT or tram could do very well, better than on the Carling Ave. corridor, as long as proper traffic control is implemented. It gets a bit tight west of Merivale. But of course, regular buses could be implemented far more quickly and cheaply (ahem ahem cough choke).
Thanks.
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I think modern trolleybuses would be better than a surface LRT or tram for Baseline. They provide a smoother, quieter ride and have more flexibility to grow without having to provide a complete end to end solution upfront. Surface LRT is really only necessary on routes that have need for very high capacity vehicles. I'm not convinced Baseline fits that description.