Intelligent Pantograph & eHighway

The main streets of Chicago (Ill, USA) used to be strung with overhead wires and e-buses with connectors called pantographs ran on major routes. Then the electric buses were replaced with gas ones and the wires came down. Back then, the prevailing view of Chicago's population was that the old electric was being replaced with modern gas.

The eHighway concept
Siemens has a transportation concept for freight that involves stringing some wires. I'm not sure why they didn't extend the concept to people traffic.
I don't know. I was thinking inductive power transfer was the solution. I suppose the losses are lower with direct contact, but it doesn't look right.

A key part of the system is the intelligent pantograph. It's an advancement over the old arrangement in that the connection can be made or broken easily and even automatically. [youtube]XiOuBrFC8NM[/youtube]

Just what any city needs; more ugly, overhead wires.

Ya overhead wiring is soo ugly. Nvm these power grids would cost a fortune. Cant they atleast hide the power lines in a guard-rail on the passenger side of the vehicles and have telescoping arms like those scary new robotic trash trucks

King County Metro (Seattle, WA): Metro to study possible alternatives for aging electric trolley buses


King County Metro: New Flyer Articulated Low Floor Hybrid Bus

King County Metro: Trolley Bus Evaluation

In Seattle & Eastside, hybrid transportation is the norm. I read somewhere here that we have 70 miles of electrified routes. On top of that we are slowing adding electric light rail. Somewhat recently, the buses began automated announcement of destinations that are clear and timely. Less reliable is the billing system which seems to fail 1 out of 10 times. The buses kneel to the curb, and can carry up to 3 normal bicycles.

Once and only once I put my ebike on the bus to save my pack for a bike challenge (Chilly Hilly); I removed the batteries and placed them in my backpack to make the bike lighter for the journey across the lake. However I was in fear it would fall off the bus due to being twice the weight of a normal bike. Regardless, these buses have a high reliability, except during snow storms. Even then, normal Seattle Metro drivers don't know squat & freak at the sign of heavy frost.

But, I like the buses and the cross-technology. I just never seen it applied to industrial shipping. Maybe if this was applied to specific high-volume routes; Port to Distribution Hub...

Searching for my Orca card, KF

skeetab5780 said:

Ya overhead wiring is soo ugly. Nvm these power grids would cost a fortune. Cant they atleast hide the power lines in a guard-rail on the passenger side of the vehicles and have telescoping arms like those scary new robotic trash trucks

Click to expand...

I don't think a good position for the 3rd rail is atop the guardrail. Your telescoping arm would cream any cyclist riding on the shoulder, for one thing.

But seriously:
As I understand, in the popular view, the main disadvantage e-vehicles have relative to internal combustion engine (ice) vehicles is range. But e-range can be indefinite if the vehicle is supplied while moving.
One method is inductive power transfer, using tuned inductors. This method has potential, but the discussion about it goes somewhere else.
Another method is the overhead wire & pantograph, but the wires are unsightly, expensive, and fragile.
The 3rd rail system it the other option. In times past, the 3rd rail had to be associated to a tracked vehicle because the connector and power rail had to be a consistent distance from each other, and interruption of the connection isn’t well tolerated by a vehicle with no on-board electricity storage. But now the connection to the 3rd rail can be made automatically, and the connector-3rd rail distance isn't critical. And now, with on-board electricity storage, interruption is easily tolerated.

The problem of having exposed high voltage conductor can be eliminated by only powering the part of the 3rd rail that is covered by the vehicle. In other words, I propose a 3rd rail system, or Ground-level power supply, with a flat conductor in electrically-separated lengths of, say, .6 meter (2 feet). The sections are powered only when a vehicle is above it.