On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:28:03 +0000, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:50:09 on Mon, 19 Dec
2011, d remarked:
Oh dear. Not off to a good start then.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/new-routemaster...dy-photo-48777

Sounds like the battery went flat.

According to TfL it also ran out of fuel:
https://twitter.com/#!/TfLofficial/s...78421156200448

In message , at 15:50:32 on
Mon, 19 Dec 2011, David Walters remarked:
Oh dear. Not off to a good start then.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/new-routemaster...dy-photo-48777

Sounds like the battery went flat.

According to TfL it also ran out of fuel:
https://twitter.com/#!/TfLofficial/s...78421156200448

A double whammy.
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:24:10 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:50:32 on
Mon, 19 Dec 2011, David Walters remarked:
Oh dear. Not off to a good start then.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/new-routemaster...dy-photo-48777

Sounds like the battery went flat.

According to TfL it also ran out of fuel:
https://twitter.com/#!/TfLofficial/s...78421156200448

A double whammy.

Its probably why the battery went flat. I bet the driver was thinking "ooh
this is nice and quiet on the motorway" shortly before he coasted to a stop.

B2003

In message , at 16:27:49 on Mon, 19 Dec
2011, d remarked:
Oh dear. Not off to a good start then.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/new-routemaster...dy-photo-48777

Sounds like the battery went flat.

According to TfL it also ran out of fuel:
https://twitter.com/#!/TfLofficial/s...78421156200448

A double whammy.

Its probably why the battery went flat. I bet the driver was thinking "ooh
this is nice and quiet on the motorway" shortly before he coasted to a stop.

Very possible. So it's an instrumentation failing (both for the
underlying fuel shortage, and the fact that the battery was not being
charged at all). The more complicated you make vehicles, the more
failure modes they have.
--
Roland Perry

And in other news, it seems it's a perpetual motion machine in London:

"Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery
using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on
diesel."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634

But I'm glad I diagnosed the problem correctly (there's some value in an
engineering degree after all!):

"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
the road to allow the battery to recharge."
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote on 19 December 2011 17:29:16 ...
And in other news, it seems it's a perpetual motion machine in London:

"Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery
using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on
diesel."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634

But I'm glad I diagnosed the problem correctly (there's some value in an
engineering degree after all!):

"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
the road to allow the battery to recharge."

London to Bedfordshire is not a "long" journey. And briefing the driver
to stop on a motorway is tantamount to inciting a criminal offence. A
vehicle that is not able to drive from London to Luton on a motorway
should not be allowed on a motorway at all.

One wonders what the non-stop range is on a hot day with a full load and
the air conditioning at full stretch.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

On Dec 19, 5:54*pm, "Richard J." wrote:

Roland Perry wrote:
[...]
* * * * *"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
* * * * *journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
* * * * *can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
* * * * *the road to allow the battery to recharge."

London to Bedfordshire is not a "long" journey. *And briefing the driver
to stop on a motorway is tantamount to inciting a criminal offence. *A
vehicle that is not able to drive from London to Luton on a motorway
should not be allowed on a motorway at all.

One wonders what the non-stop range is on a hot day with a full load and
the air conditioning at full stretch.

Er, what air conditioning?

In message , at 17:54:57 on Mon, 19
Dec 2011, Richard J. remarked:
And in other news, it seems it's a perpetual motion machine in London:

"Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery
using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on
diesel."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634

But I'm glad I diagnosed the problem correctly (there's some value in an
engineering degree after all!):

"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
the road to allow the battery to recharge."

London to Bedfordshire is not a "long" journey. And briefing the
driver to stop on a motorway is tantamount to inciting a criminal
offence. A vehicle that is not able to drive from London to Luton on a
motorway should not be allowed on a motorway at all.

I tend to agree that if as a well rounded engineer, familiar with the
foibles on novel solutions, I was asked to deliver that vehicle, I would
probably avoid motorways.

One wonders what the non-stop range is on a hot day with a full load
and the air conditioning at full stretch.

It doesn't matter if much of the time it's stuck at traffic lights,
during which time it can recharge.

But the same issues of "duty cycle" apply to all electric and most
hybrid vehicles. And let's not forget what happens in a couple of years
when the batteries are beginning to retain less of their charge.

I was quite disappointed to discover that the prototype hybrid double
deckers in Nottingham seemed configured to glide silently to a halt at
bus stops, then immediately start their engine at the exact point you'd
have preferred less fumes and noise for the passengers while boarding.

There's a bit more work required before this technology is optimised.
--
Roland Perry

On Dec 19, 5:54*pm, "Richard J." wrote:
Roland Perry wrote on 19 December 2011 17:29:16 ...

And in other news, it seems it's a perpetual motion machine in London:

* * * * *"Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery
* * * * *using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on
* * * * *diesel."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634

But I'm glad I diagnosed the problem correctly (there's some value in an
engineering degree after all!):

* * * * *"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
* * * * *journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
* * * * *can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
* * * * *the road to allow the battery to recharge."

London to Bedfordshire is not a "long" journey. *And briefing the driver
to stop on a motorway is tantamount to inciting a criminal offence. *A
vehicle that is not able to drive from London to Luton on a motorway
should not be allowed on a motorway at all.

One wonders what the non-stop range is on a hot day with a full load and
the air conditioning at full stretch.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

But you won't know that a vehicle is unable to drive from London to
Luton on a motorway until................................oh yes you
attempt to drive it from London to Luton on a motorway.

Let's face it vehicles break down everyday on motorways for one reason
or another, hardly a big deal is it?