[extropy-chat] peak oil schmeak oil

[Mike Lorrey]

--- BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> News item from 10 February 2005	
> 
> Major Milestones Passed
> The CUTE / ECTOS / STEP fleet has passed two important milestones:
>     * Just before the end of last year, the total mileage of the 33
> fuel cell buses amounted to 500.000 km.
>     * By the middle of January, the vehicles had been running for
> 40.000 hours since the beginning of operation.
> 
> All participating cities - Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London,
> Luxembourg, Madrid, Perth, Porto, Reykjavik, Stockholm and Stuttgart
> -
> are very pleased about the progress of the three projects. Buses and
> infrastructure continue to operate reliably.

As I am likely the only member of this list who has worked for a bus
company, I can categorically say that these numbers are TERRIBLE. In
order for a bus to pay its way, it needs to operate at least 30,000
passenger miles per week. These buses so far appear to be merely
feel-good rolling photo-opportunities for politicians to point at.
500km for 33 fuel cell buses? That is 15km each for last year. 40 hours
of operation time? 

In my experience, buses that are used that infrequently are called
"garage queens" because their primary purpose is to serve as mobile
parts departments to be cannibalized for the real operating buses.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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