New fuel to power our cars?

[NewcastleFalcon]

While electrical infrastructures on our road network are in their infancy, Many of our cities and regions were pioneers in developing the necessary infrastructure and vehicles to run public transport services on electricity. Newcastle being a good example.

In the early 1900's Newcastle developed an network of tramlines to serve the city and its suburbs. The Newcastle Corporation even built a dedicated power station at Manors to power the system. This is a 1901 Tram built by Hurst Nelson and Co. Motherwell for Newcastle Corporation Tramways, and you can still have a ride on it today at Beamish Open Air Museum in County Durham.



In the mid 1930's A trolley Bus network for the City and its suburbs was established and gradually replaced the tramways. This is a Sunbeam S7 three-axle trolleybus, and was delivered on 27 July 1948. Newcastle replaced its trolleybus services by motor buses in stages over the period 1963 to 1966, and the network of overhead wires was removed. An ageing infrastructure and the greater convenience and speed of motor buses brought an end to the trolley buses as it had done for the trams before them. For those who like me enjoy the odd moment wallowing in nostalgia, Beamish Museum lets you step back in time and ride on the trolley buses again!



Newcastle was also pioneering in establishing one of the first city and suburban electric rail networks in the early 1900's. The network was based on the 3rd Rail system although the short freight only Quayside Branch had both overhead wires and the 3rd rail system in tunnels. Locomotives which could work on both operated the line, like this one preserved in the National Railway Museum at Shildon County Durham.



The "Electric Trains" were replaced by diesel and the lines de-electrified between 1963 and 1967. The network itself was re-electrified in the early 1980's to form the Tyne and Wear Metro System but not using the 3rd Rail system but overhead wires.

Not sure if any parallels can be drawn with the current stage of development of electric road transport. Overhead wires and power stations on motorways? probably not...

regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

.....probably only of appeal to "older Tynesiders" but if you are sick of Top Gear, and other current light entertainment offerings on the gogglebox, a documentary in the old fashioned "informative style" in 6 parts. Personally I find it fascinating, but I know all the places, and well remember the trolley buses if not the trams. All the difficulties of creating a successful electric transport network were overcome, not just in Newcastle but in many other cities across the Country.

Newcastle Trolley Buses Playlist

regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

In the news today, tidal power. Seems a good reliable source of energy to be tapped for me, and very much needed if we all switch our kettles on, and plug in our cars at the same time!



Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

I haven't updated myself recently on how Arnie is getting on in California, but to his credit at one time he did try to pursue a vision of hydrogen based transportation in his State.

Trying to find something more up to date, but this was the state of play as at August 2013.

The California Hydrogen Highway Network (CaH2Net) was initiated in April of 2004 by Executive Order under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The mission was to assure that hydrogen fueling stations were in place to meet the demand of fuel cell and other hydrogen vehicle technologies being placed on California’s roads.

California now has 13 research hydrogen fueling stations, 9 public stations and an additional 18 that have been funded and are expected to be operational in the next few years. Hydrogen vehicle manufacturers have spent years demonstrating their vehicles and improving the technology, and some automakers will be ready to introduce FCEVs to the early commercial market around 2015 - 2017.

The combination of CaH2Net planning and continued government and industry progress has prepared California with a growing hydrogen fueling network that will be ready to support tens of thousands of hydrogen vehicles as they enter the marketplace in the next several years.

Are tens of thousands of fuel cell electric vehicles any nearer to reality in 2015?

Arnie's term as Governor of California ended in 2011, but his successor Governor "Jerry" Brown also has ambitious plans for California with a ZEV Action Plan-A roadmap toward 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roadways by 2025

Clearly ambitions for that volume of vehicles are going to perk up interest from "automakers" to join the party.

regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Trams,Trolley Buses, Motor Buses, trams reinvented, Hybrid Buses...whats next in the sequence....fully electric battery buses

Manchester has at least 3 of them.



regards Neil

[Stickyfinger]

If anything is suited to electric it is buses, we are WAY behind with them....god knows why

[Northern_Mike]

Those buses only served the Olympic village in 2008, they're not in general use.

They're too big and heavy to be electric only. There's a few diesel electric ones though. They stopped using the fuel cell ones because the excess pollution in Beijing killed the fuel cells too quickly.

Vorsprung berk Technik

[Zelandeth]

Hydrogen fuel cell buses are in Aberdeen. Or at least in a shed in Aberdeen and Insch...because thd fuelling station isn't ready! Buses have been there and ready to go for nearly 8 months now!

We've got quite a number of fully electric Optare Solo minibuses running around Milton Keynes as well. So they are here.

[Hell Razor5543]

Reading has got both gas powered busses and hybrid ones.

[NewcastleFalcon]

An Aberdeen H2 Bus



Interesting project, I hope they overcome the problems and make it happen. No greater problems than faced by Newcastle Corporation in the early 1900's laying tram lines, and a network of overhead wiring and a powerstation to energise the system, and commissioning the trams themselves from makers as far afield as Motherwell

How on earth did they do it without grants from "Europe" (anyone found an emoticon for sarcasm yet?)

The project, which has backing from Europe, the UK Government and the Scottish Government, will deliver a hydrogen infrastructure in Aberdeen in 2014, including:

Production of hydrogen from a 1MW electrolyser
Establishing a state-of-the-art hydrogen refuelling station, Scotland's first commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling station that will include hydrogen production through electrolysis
Deployment of a fleet of 10 hydrogen buses, to be operated by First Group and Stagecoach.
The development of a hydrogen safe maintenance facility. Within an operational fleet maintenance depot

So the state of the art hydrogen refuelling station is not quite there yet?



regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Maybe as well as the reincarnation of trams as part of public transport in cities and suburbs, the trolley bus may even make a comeback.

Van Hool who make the Aberdeen H2 Buses also have trolley buses in their stable.



regards Neil

[myglaren]

While electrical infrastructures on our road network are in their infancy, Many of our cities and regions were pioneers in developing the necessary infrastructure and vehicles to run public transport services on electricity. Newcastle being a good example.

I'm sure I can remember trolley buses in Newcastle the first time I was there, sometime in the sixties.
Was very impressed with The Arcade too, full of hippies giving stuff away.

[Northern_Mike]

I'd like to see nuclear powered buses and trains. The technology is there, it's inherently safe and the amount to power a bus over its lifetime would be miniscule. I believe a nuclear sub carries about 400kgs of fuel material which will last it many years in a very hostile environment. A mini - reactor powering a bus or train would be fine by me.

Vorsprung berk Technik

[CitroJim]

I fully agree Mike. The reactor would not be that large and they've crashed enough nuclear carrying freight trains to know how to make it safe in an accident...

Wonder if it's practical for a small car?

[NewcastleFalcon]

This is the British Built Optare Metrocity EV bus, of which there is a handful operating in London



A couple of random trivialities which I didn't know. The old Leyland logo is still alive and kicking. Ashok Leyland being the parent company of Optare.



And Optare are based in Sherburn-in-Elmet in North Yorkshire. Haven't a clue where it is (apart from North Yorkshire of course), and can't remember ever having been there, but within the last week I have been perusing caravans/motorhomes on e-bay, and Sherburn-in-Elmet comes up on quite a few of my searches

regards Neil