MAX BRT Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Article on DesignLine using Siemens motors. http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/11/Siemens-DesignLine-reach-supplier-agreement.aspx STM should get their electric midi buses for old Montreal in mid 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Does not seem like DesignLine has wrapped up the sale to the Denver RTD yet, but they are hopeful. Mall ride buses: http://bit.ly/UCGOEb They have DesignLine’s fourth-generation EcoSaver Range Extended Electric Vehicle drive: a battery dominant series hybrid. “DesignLine’s TwinDrive dual motor and inverter package is used,” Anderson told F&F, “along with 52 kilowatt-hours of stored energy in two lithium ion battery packs, and a Capstone C30 microturbine running on diesel.” The 45-foot vehicles travel a slow, flat route. They are replacing lead-acid CNG hybrids! (Very rare indeed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 another shot of NJT 7202 in service http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/topic/38585-7202-on-the-131/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 On another thread, a CPTDB Administrator (ADB) posted a link to DesignLine testing from Altoona. I thought I would post it here as well. http://146.186.225.57/buses/412 This bus is a diesel-electric powered partly by a microturbine. Fuel economy looks to be impressive. A Fuel Economy Test was run on simulated central business district, arterial, and commuter courses. The results were 5.17 mpg, 9.04 mpg, and 6.03 mpg respectively; with an overall average of 6.07 mpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) DesignLine won a Denver RTD order for 32 mallride buses. RTD liked the prototypes well enough but there is concern about long-term reliability. http://www.denverpos...ews/ci_22429151 If I did the math right ($21,147,350 / 32 buses) these 3-door 45 foot C30 microturbine hybrids cost $660,854 each. Edited March 21, 2013 by MAX BRT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Thanks to Turbo19, we know that Designline is offering a CNG/Electric hybrid. There are at least three in service at Arlington Transit (Virginia) now. Official blog: http://www.arlington...c-hybrid-buses/ & Video: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Looks like the projected range of the DesignLine electric bus for Laval is dropping. In an article from 2011 it was said to have an operating range of up to 250 kilometres. This week's article from Lavalnews.ca says its range is estimated at 150 to 200 km. Read more below. http://lavalnews.ca/...purchase-211003 Preliminary runs made with an electric bus that the Société de Transport de Laval is now testing in preparation to possibly purchase others of the same type suggest that heating the vehicles during winter cold snaps greatly reduces the amount of time the buses can stay on the road before having to be recharged, STL officials revealed last week. Cold and snow According to the STL’s findings on the performance of U.S. manufacturer DesignLine’s 40-foot, slow-charge, fully electric EcoSmart bus, another winter-time condition (accumulated snow) compromised the test bus’s ability to accelerate, while also reducing the vehicle’s “range” between charges. A data sheet furnished last week during a press conference to provide the media with a progress report said the buses were tested starting in March and April on a test track “closed” run when the temperature was -15 degrees Celsius. The test bus was loaded with sand bags to simulate the weight of passengers. Until Aug. 25, the bus will continue to be subjected to test trials on certain STL routes, initially without transit users. Then from September to December, the STL will be trying out the bus with passengers. The STL said in a statement that it is out to test the “operating range, the charging infrastructure as well as the weather conditions” of the electric buses – which are the first ever to be as large as conventional public transit buses. The STL says its four major objectives in conducting the tests are to develop expertise in the use and maintenance of the buses, while clarifying the outstanding issues. They also want to know more on how the “slow charge” aspect of the buses will affect the STL’s operations. At the same time, the agency wants to know what transit users think of the buses. While a bus running on a full tank of bio-diesel has a range of up to 900 or more kilometres, an electric bus’s estimated range is from 150 to 200 kilometres, said Sylvain Gonthier, the STL’s director of engineering and maintenance. In addition to this, it takes from five to 10 minutes to refuel a diesel-based bus, compared to six to eight hours for a slow-charge electric vehicle, Gonthier added. While the electric model’s heating system runs off the battery, a conventional diesel bus has “thermal” heating which is a by-product of the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTA-(T)-Train Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 Wow, that bus looks real nice... hope it doesn't blunder like the MTA's units! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo19 Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 ARLINGTON, VA – This morning, an Arlington Transit (ART) CNG electric hybrid bus experienced a braking systems failure while in service on the northbound 45 line, resulting in a three-vehicle accident. The bus was proceeding on a moderate-to-sharp incline on North Barton Street when all its braking systems failed, causing the bus to drift backward into other vehicles. The driver of one of the vehicles was transported to Virginia Hospital for observation as a precautionary measure. No passengers on the bus were injured. Arlington County Police investigators described the damage to the vehicles as minor. Safety is our priority. At this time, the cause of these failures has not been determined; therefore, Arlington County has removed all three of our CNG electric hybrid buses from service pending a complete and thorough investigation of the incident and the vehicle. A representative of the vehicle manufacturer, DesignLine, is onsite, and Arlington has requested that a detailed forensic analysis be conducted in cooperation with Arlington County and our ART operations and maintenance contractor, National Express, to determine the cause and possible remedies. Read More: Source Video Link: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted June 9, 2013 Report Share Posted June 9, 2013 Dont all buses have a maxi brake? Couldn't the driver release the maxi brake to stop the bus? It would be quite a jolt but it would stop the bus from rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board Admin A. Wong Posted June 9, 2013 Board Admin Report Share Posted June 9, 2013 I think the maxi brake is still reliant on air systems, so if that is what failed, then that wouldn't have worked either? I'm not a mechanic though so not 100% sure on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cimon8000 Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 ARLINGTON, VA – This morning, an Arlington Transit (ART) CNG electric hybrid bus experienced a braking systems failure while in service on the northbound 45 line, resulting in a three-vehicle accident. The bus was proceeding on a moderate-to-sharp incline on North Barton Street when all its braking systems failed, causing the bus to drift backward into other vehicles. The driver of one of the vehicles was transported to Virginia Hospital for observation as a precautionary measure. No passengers on the bus were injured. Arlington County Police investigators described the damage to the vehicles as minor. Safety is our priority. At this time, the cause of these failures has not been determined; therefore, Arlington County has removed all three of our CNG electric hybrid buses from service pending a complete and thorough investigation of the incident and the vehicle. A representative of the vehicle manufacturer, DesignLine, is onsite, and Arlington has requested that a detailed forensic analysis be conducted in cooperation with Arlington County and our ART operations and maintenance contractor, National Express, to determine the cause and possible remedies. Read More: Source Video Link: another quality issue with Designline, this company just never learns from its mistakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bus_Medic Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Until you get the slightest inkling of mechanical knowledge, I'd suggest you stay neutral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 another quality issue with Designline, this company just never learns from its mistakes! How do you know it was Designline's fault? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 Art buses return to service after investigation http://www.arlnow.com/2013/07/08/art-buses-return-to-service-after-investigation/ “These three buses were thoroughly tested at the Altoona Bus Testing and Research Center before delivery to ART. Braking performance of all three buses was recently retested in varying conditions – and proved excellent… The knowledge acquired from recent testing and data has been applied in a retraining program for ART operators, to insure that safety, mechanical and operational aspects meet our expectations for service quality.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wchu94 Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 DesignLine is in trouble again, suspending operations for 10days and furloughed their workforce. Press release: "DesignLine Corporation announced today that it is suspending its business operations for 10 days, beginning immediately. During this period, employees will be furloughed and the company will work on a resolution that will enable it to resume operations shortly." News reports: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/31/4203899/designline-pausing-operations.html http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/designline-corp-suspend-operations-10-days/nY87B/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bus_Medic Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Uh oh. Starting to sound like Milennium. That's a shame. The industry needs competition right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 At least they built more buses then them lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 DesignLine is in trouble again, suspending operations for 10days and furloughed their workforce. Press release: "DesignLine Corporation announced today that it is suspending its business operations for 10 days, beginning immediately. During this period, employees will be furloughed and the company will work on a resolution that will enable it to resume operations shortly." News reports: http://www.charlotte...operations.html http://www.wsoctv.co...-10-days/nY87B/ I hope turbine powered buses will survive, but only if they make sense. Same for the battery buses with the sodium battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX BRT Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 The latest on DesignLine--laying off workers and out of money. It does not sound good at all. Its a shame. http://www.charlotte...laying-off.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bus_Medic Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 New Jersey transit seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to bus manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVTArider Posted August 13, 2013 Report Share Posted August 13, 2013 New Jersey transit seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to bus manufacturers. Let's hope they buy Van Hool when replacing their artics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wchu94 Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 DesignLine now files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: http://www.subchat.com/buschat/read.asp?Id=282204 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Board Admin A. Wong Posted August 17, 2013 Board Admin Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 Too bad, guess that probably means the end of the electric bus they had in Quebec too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megabus Rider Posted August 17, 2013 Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 DesignLine now files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: http://www.subchat.c...d.asp?Id=282204 They responded to TTC's request of suppling 40ft Buses for 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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