Ultracapacitor Bus Recharges at Each Stop

A capacitor can <i>discharge</i> at least as fast as it can charge. Let's see what remains after the first wreck.<p>The ultracapacitors store 5.9 KWH. (From the manufacturer's specs: <a href="http://www.sinautecus.com/products.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.sinautecus.com/products.html</a>)<p>5.9 kilowatt-hour = (5.9 kW)(1 hour) = (5900 J/s)(3600 s) = 21.24 MJ.<p>A stick of dynamite contains roughly 2.1 MJ.<p>Welcome aboard!

It is an elegant idea, but I am not sure it could reach wide adoption. Basically, the pitch is that over its lifetime, it will be cost efficient when compared to <i>current</i> alternatives. However, everyone thinks that near-term alternatives -- including those that include advanced ultra-capacitors -- will be even better so they wait.<p>I did really like the article saying <i>The buses can also capture energy from braking, and the company says that recharging stations can be equipped with solar panels (although this is mainly to further the perception that the vehicles have a lower carbon footprint).</i> It always bothers me that green concepts try to create an amalgamation of 50 different green sources. Carry over the Unix philosophy, please.

That's a really clever idea. Ultra-capacitors are by themselves a very neat technology, this kind of ingenuity in the transportation industry is a small step in the direction of letting go of the oil addiction, sooner is better in my opinion.<p>The way the system is described it has clearly been engineered to maximize cost savings, but I don't think the passenger will be too happy with a bus that stops for several minutes every couple of stops. Better to do that charging in smaller gulps at every stop, it will cost more (because you need more charging stations) but the public will be much more accepting of a technology that does not right away contain a very visible drawback.

So what you're saying is that if my bus is stuck in stop-and-go traffic for too long I will have to get out and push?

Hmm so I'll be going on a bus and it will every couple of miles stop for <i>a few minutes</i> to charge? I guess I will stick with trams and trolleybuses.