Submitted via IRC for Fnord666_
Think it was impressive when a Tesla club drove a Model S nearly 670 miles? It has nothing on what Proterra just managed. The startup just drove a Catalyst E2 Max electric bus a whopping 1,101.2 miles on a single charge. That's the furthest any EV has managed before recharging, and well past the 1,013.8 miles driven by the previous record-holder, a one-seat experimental car nicknamed "Boozer." It's not hard to see how Proterra managed the feat when you know about the technology, but this still bodes well for eco-friendly public transportation.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/19/electric-bus-travels-record-1101-miles-on-one-charge/
(Score: 3, Informative) by NewNic on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:41PM (3 children)
In 1967, the UK electric vehicle association claimed that the UK had more electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.
The UK traditionally had daily doorstep delivery of milk. The milk was carried on a cart that was pulled by a horse. This was a good solution because the horse would walk at the same speed as the milkman could deliver to houses, and did not need to be driven.
Then, the horses and carts were replaced by electric milk floats. Again, no great speed was required. The milkman had to actually drive the vehicle, but with no engine to stop and start, this could be accomplished efficiently.
It appears that the manufacture and use of electric vehicles goes back over 100 years.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Nuke on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:59PM (1 child)
Also bread delivery, and totters. Totters, or "Rag and Bone Men" went round streets, in London at least, shouting out as they went, to buy - or just relieve of - stuff that people might be wanting to get rid of.
The horses and carts were self-driving as you say, so that idea is not new either. The guy delivering milk/bread to doorsteps would shout commands to the horse to start and stop. Voice recognition too.
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:18PM
I have a vague memory of rag and bone men from my childhood. They were all over the country, not just London. Then, there is Steptoe and Son......
However, they are not really relevant to the discussion at hand, since they didn't convert from horse and cart to electric vehicles.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:10PM
Make that over 120 years, including the first vehicle over 100km/h:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jamais_Contente [wikipedia.org]