Adelaide, Australia launched the first totally solar-powered bus yesterday. The bus is named, "Tindo," which is "Sun" in the language of the indigenous Kaurna people. I couldn't tell if there was a bicycle carrying rack on the bus. Combining bus and bike transportation works pretty in the Bay Area. (Adelaide cyclists, post a thought on this.)
The bus was manufactured by Design Line, head-quartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a principal manufacturing facility in Ashbury, New Zealand. For you gearheads, here is the tech info from the Design Line press release:
"Using solar PV panels supplied by BP Solar, the solar PV system at the new Adelaide Central Bus Station will generate almost 70,000 kilowatt hours of zero carbon emissions electricity each year, making it currently the largest grid-connected system in Adelaide. Much of the funding for the $550,000 solar PV system has been provided by the Adelaide Solar City program, with the Adelaide City Council also committing significant funding. [My note: The city is ponying up over $8 million dollars toward achieving initiatives.]
With an operational range of 200 kilometres between charges under typical urban conditions, the air-conditioned solar electric bus is able to carry 27 passengers, with 25 seated and two wheelchair spaces. The bus uses 11 Swiss-made Zebra sodium/nickel battery modules which give it unprecedented energy storage and operational range." [My note: Read more about Zebra batteries here and here.]
"The Lord Mayor says the solar PV recharging system and resulting carbon neutrality sets Tindo apart from other electric buses used around the world. 'There are few pure battery electric buses around the world, and most are characterised by being significantly smaller in size than Tindo, and they have a shorter operational range,' he says. 'The Adelaide City Council’s solar electric bus is the only one recharged using 100% solar PV electricity.''"
Photos lifted from the Adelaide City Council site.
adelaidecitycouncil.com to a-new-life-downunder
to autobloggreen.com to ubergizmo.com
