Robert Johnston via EV wrote:
Okay, I've been looking into/thinking about this for a bit, and I see
several ways this could be handled.
1. Electrified rail
Still widely used around the world, especially for commuter trains. A
practical solution that has stood the test of time.
2. Pantagraphs
These have also been used for over 100 years right up to the present.
The huge Pennsylvania railroad electrified 40% of the tracks with
overhead wires and pantographs, many of which are still in use.
City buses were also frequently electrified with overhead wires. Last I
knew, Seattle WA city buses still use this method.
3. Batteries on the trailer
That makes good sense. Since trailers are usually parked outside, PV
panels on the roof could be a significant source of power for charging.
4. Solar Roadways
Yes; not in the roadway, but alongside the right of way. PV panels along
the roadway have become pretty common for powering lighting,
communication, and advertising signs. Given the penchant to always have
a sign in sight along highways, there could be ample opportunities to
add PV to most or all of them.
5. Solar roofs on warehouses, solar covered parking for trucks, trailers
and tractors
Yes again.
Industry has shown it can co-operate. Look at the standardized sizes of
shipping containers, and palettes, for instance. Or the standard "Fifth
Wheel" system.
Well... industry cooperates when *forced* to do so. Who will have the
"guts" to force them to standardize on EV charging, battery sizes, PV
panels and systems?
What I see so far are standards that seek to monopolize or monetize systems.
I'm not saying any of these are perfect solutions, and they will all take
work and investment to achieve; but they are possible, would make a not
inconsiderable difference, and can be done right now.
Yes, alternative solutions always exist that can be practical and
economically feasible. However, the established vested interests will
work very hard to prevent any new system from supplanting the ones they
already have.
Breaking free of "the way we've always done it" requires some disruptive
element that's powerful enough to force a tipping point. It's happened
before: The printing press, the electric light bulb, and the
microcomputer are all examples of technologies that were powerful enough
to break the status quo and so change the world.
EVs may have that same kind of power; but they haven't reached the
"tipping point" yet.
Lee
--
"#3 pencils and quadrille pads." -- Seymour Cray, when asked
what CAD tools he used to design the Cray I supercomputer
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com
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