Trolleybuses in Houston?

[BeerNut]

I know Metro has a plan to purchase several electric buses but has there ever been any consideration to go with trolleybuses?  We already have utility poles everywhere so what's a few more wires and poles down a street.  Also you eliminate the inefficiencies of charging and transporting a battery.  I would think the blue line would be an ideal route for trolleybuses... 

[j_cuevas713]

47 minutes ago, BeerNut said:

I know Metro has a plan to purchase several electric buses but has there ever been any consideration to go with trolleybuses?  We already have utility poles everywhere so what's a few more wires and poles down a street.  Also you eliminate the inefficiencies of charging and transporting a battery.  I would think the blue line would be an ideal route for trolleybuses... 

I WISH! The buses would feel like more permanent transit lines. It felt that way in SF. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by j_cuevas713

[MexAmerican_Moose]

id recommend reading the book Houston Electric by Steven M Baron.....awesome info on Houston's old electric streetcar system

[dbigtex56]

Another advantage to trollybusses is that they stay within a designated lane. Many people are unaware that keeping one's balance when the bus is swerving through traffic is exhausting.

[Reefmonkey]

With the advances in battery life and charging time over the last few decades, I think going with self-contained electric buses makes more sense if you don’t already have the trollybus infrastructure in place. Buses are even better suited to EV than private electric vehicles, they have more space underneath for larger batteries, they operate on set routes with depots in predictable spots where a bus can pull in when it’s charge gets low and be swapped out with another bus to take over its route while it recharges. Unlike trollybuses, you  don’t have to pay for the infrastructure installation, and you have more flexibility in expanding and changing bus routes.  Plus Houston’s sight lines are already cluttered enough as it is, with overhead utility lines running along most of our streets, we don’t need to add trollybus lines to that. The new bus lanes on Post Oak show how keeping buses in one lane to prevent swaying can be accomplished without trollybuses, if that’s desired. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Reefmonkey

[samagon]

6 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

With the advances in battery life and charging time over the last few decades, I think going with self-contained electric buses makes more sense if you don’t already have the trollybus infrastructure in place. Buses are even better suited to EV than private electric vehicles, they have more space underneath for larger batteries, they operate on set routes with depots in predictable spots where a bus can pull in when it’s charge gets low and be swapped out with another bus to take over its route while it recharges. Unlike trollybuses, you  don’t have to pay for the infrastructure installation, and you have more flexibility in expanding and changing bus routes.  Plus Houston’s sight lines are already cluttered enough as it is, with overhead utility lines running along most of our streets, we don’t need to add trollybus lines to that. The new bus lanes on Post Oak show how keeping buses in one lane to prevent swaying can be accomplished without trollybuses, if that’s desired. 

and if it's something more like a BRT, you can know with a very good accuracy how many trips it can take between refuels.

[editor]

On 5/25/2022 at 3:47 PM, samagon said:

and if it's something more like a BRT, you can know with a very good accuracy how many trips it can take between refuels.

Chicago put in bus chargers at its Navy Pier terminal in 2020.  Highlights:

• Total recharge time for an articulated bus: 10 minutes
• Amount each electric bus saves in fuel each year (2020): $24,000
• Amount each electric bus saves in maintenance each year: $30,000

Chicago has had electric buses for a long time, but the charging station at Navy Pier uses faster technology, which allows a bus to charge during a simple layover on its regular route, and not in a bus barn or staging yard at the end of its duty day.

[hindesky]

https://www.electrive.com/2019/10/08/22-electric-articulated-buses-to-grace-nantes/

 

[SBurbanist]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:55 PM, dbigtex56 said:

Another advantage to trollybusses is that they stay within a designated lane. Many people are unaware that keeping one's balance when the bus is swerving through traffic is exhausting.

The trolley poles can pivot so the bus can go around things. And they typically have a diesel generator or a battery to allow off-wire trips, albeit short ones.

[Ross]

I can imagine how thrilled all the folks who want all the power lines buried would be if there were power lines running all over the place. Like this in Bologna, Italy 

[editor]

On 6/11/2022 at 9:04 AM, Ross said:

I can imagine how thrilled all the folks who want all the power lines buried would be if there were power lines running all over the place. Like this in Bologna, Italy 

Looks like Seattle, or Toronto, or a hundred other cities around the world that have them and got used to it.

That said, it seems that battery technology has advanced to the point where we don't need the overhead wires anymore.  As noted elsewhere, Chicago charges its articulated buses in ten minutes.  And just the other day, I noticed a Metro bus downtown that was electric.

So, aside from aesthetics, I don't think there's any reason for the overhead wires for electric buses anymore.

[Houston19514]

5 minutes ago, editor said:

Looks like Seattle, or Toronto, or a hundred other cities around the world that have them and got used to it.

That said, it seems that battery technology has advanced to the point where we don't need the overhead wires anymore.  As noted elsewhere, Chicago charges its articulated buses in ten minutes.  And just the other day, I noticed a Metro bus downtown that was electric.

So, aside from aesthetics, I don't think there's any reason for the overhead wires for electric buses anymore.

Metro has a bunch of electric buses on order for delivery later this year, IIRC.  They also recently approved the purchase of a fast-charger to be installed at the TMC Transit Center, which is apparently where this batch of electric buses will be concentrated.