Having dug around the Swedish and Norwegian press a little more, I’ve managed to find a little more information on the electric bus problems.
One issue is with traction, especially on bendy buses. Because there is no heavy diesel engine and transmission over the rear wheels, there is a problem with traction on snow and ice. Another is the power delivery form the motor, which can be a bit sudden and powerful, compared to a lazy diesel engine and automatic transmission.
The other problem mentioned was that of heating. Apparently they are fitted with diesel fired heaters as they demand a massive amount of heat. These heaters are run on HVO diesel which is supposedly environmentally friendly because it comes from waste product, but it still chucks out the same gases and particulates as regular diesel. In order to save money, and trying to be environmentally friendly, the heating gets turned down, or off.
It appears to be another case of green washing, where any environmental benefits are at best limited, and come at a pretty hefty financial cost.
Last edited by: Dave on Tue 2 Jan 24 at 18:13
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