FCHV Bus
From the "pictures are easier than bloggin" archives, a picture of the Toyota FCHV Bus, a fuel-cell powered hybrid bus that was used during the World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. The bus runs on "motors powered by high-pressure hydrogen-supplied fuel cells and a nickel-metal hydride secondary battery. Unlike gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, it does not emit carbon dioxide or other toxic substances during operation and is highly energy-efficient."
The buses ride like, well, buses -- which is more or less what you'd like to hear. The ride is very smooth and except for the blazing logos on the side of the bus, you'd never know they're running on fuel cells/batteries. Mind you, they're running a small loop and they never get very fast, so who knows how well they'd perform in the heavy conditions of city transit use. At the moment, however, it's not even worth speculating. They're so expensive that they're not at all feasible for transit use (estimates are upwards of US$1 million for each bus). But it's a cool idea that may have its day once prices come down.
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amg | 11:43 PM |
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