by FRN9
manuelsmith wrote:I concur, this idea if proven could be revolutionary. But from reading the reports, it's far from reality.They're testing them now in the UK with 54km runs.
As a passenger, I'd really want to see a complete safety proof-of-concept before relying on this for a regular commute.
(see problems with Boeing 787 batteries:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787 ... y_problems )
How would agencies deal with the worst-case scenarios in case of battery failure? Imagine a cold morning, with a train load of commuters, and a dead battery.
Would extra diesels have to be on hand to rescue those trains?
Schedule reliability would be out of the window, would passengers flee?
I think this concept is about 20 years from reality...at least...
With regards to the early morning, they would start out charged at the end of the line, then move to a battery area and then back to AC power.
With regards to 787, they're not just testing lithium batteries. Tesla and the battery buses the MTA is testing http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ele ... -1.1455731 are good examples of batteries in action that are safe.
The problem with the 787 is not the batteries but that its made out of plastic ("composite") and it melts easily http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 596731.xml.
No reason to use a heavier North American shell when European standards are accepted by the FRA (post PTC).