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OPINION
The right bus for ‘green’ land
“As an energy-storage system for
a bus, a tank of diesel takes some
beating: it is compact, fits whatever
shape is available, providing plenty
of operating range. And, crucially,
the up-front cost is modest...
Finding an equally convenient
means of storing electrical energy
on a hybrid bus is not nearly so
simple.” That’s David Wilcox in a
recent issue of Transport Engineer.
London’s buses were long
recognised as world leaders in
passenger comfort – culminating in
the ‘standard’ bus, the Regent III
(the RT), which ran from
1939-1979, and its successor, the
famous Routemaster (RM). Since
then, the emphasis has been on
passenger volume and environ-
mental efficiency, rather than
comfort. During his election
campaign, London Mayor Boris
Johnson promised “a bus fit for the
21st century”. Once elected, he
launched a competition to design a
new bus (nicknamed the Borisbus)
which attracted 700 entries – none
of which was actually used. Never-
theless, Wrightbus of Ballymena
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SEEING THE LIGHT
Ralph Adams’ opinions regarding CFLs
throw a light (pun intended) on the
shortcomings of these lamps
(Member News, February 2010).
Over a few decades, the minuscule
amounts of mercury from each CFL
will seep into the ground water,
thence into our bellies! Result: early
deaths, paralysis, birth defects etc, as
many used lamps won’t be disposed
of correctly and will simply be thrown
out with household rubbish where
they will break and release lethal Hg.
Then there’s the question of the
alleged CO2 savings. For more than
half the year in most of Europe,
households are heated and lamps
contribute to the heating; ipso facto,
substitute, say, 500W of tungsten
lamps with 1,00W of CFLs, then there
is a 400W shortfall. Where is this
made up from? You got it in one! From
the heating system!
IET Member News April 2010 www.theiet.org/membernews
was contracted to build five proto-
types. Said Johnson: “Londoners
can travel on these buses with clear
environmental consciences, safe in
the knowledge their journey will
guzzle far less fuel and expire a
whopping 40 per cent less carbon
dioxide than a regular bus.” And in
comfort? No mention of that.
According to bus-maker Optare’s
chief executive: “Customers are not
warming to the low-carbon offer-
ings being promoted, particularly
The 400W of electrical energy,
whether it’s used for lighting or
heating, will produce the same
amount of CO2 at the power station.
And the people who force us to
throw away our tungsten lamps, with
little or no benefits and many hazards,
are still living and breeding among us.
They’re thick-headed politicians!
Charles March EngTech MIET
Essex, UK
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If
you believe that incandescent look
nice and meet your long-term needs
stay with them as long as they are still
legal. For me, I have changed over my
whole house to CFL bulbs with two
exceptions: the refrigerator and the
electric oven (for obvious reasons).
My house does not have dimmers,
as I have never liked them. I have
purchased light fixtures that enhance
the use of CFLs. They also allow the
on cost-benefit.” Their own battery-
electric alternative to the hybrid is
far more costly than had been
expected, with the electric driveline
alone adding £98,000, roughly
doubling its price.
CO2 emissions from England’s
buses have increased significantly
over the last ten years, yet only
0.2 per cent of buses are currently
low-carbon. To encourage them to
go ‘green’, and with the hope that
reduced production costs will
boost sales, the government has
created a new fund: part of a
radical shift to low-carbon trans-
port and air-quality improvement.
Greener Journeys, a campaign
group funded by bus companies,
proposes a bus and coach scrap-
page scheme as well as greater use
of bus priority, park-and-ride and
school buses. They want the
government to encourage people
into buses; the target is to change
one journey in 25. But how?
Many environmentally-friendly
vehicles give a poor ride. The high
cost of that, and of conforming with
disability legislation, leaves little
use of fixtures that can be mounted
closer to the ceiling without burning it.
The main reason I use CFL bulbs is
because they reduce the heat load
within the house and reduce the air
conditioning costs. I live in Florida
where the need for heat is low (the air
conditioner acts as a heat pump cycle
with very high efficiency). Cool and
dehumidified air is a must during
three-quarters of the year.
If you don’t like the sight of CFL
bulbs, here in the US you can now buy
CFL bulbs that are encased inside a
regular incandescent glass bulb.
I am currently waiting for the next
generation of lighting to turn up. I have
recently seen an LED lighting array,
which look more like a shower head
than anything – it is down right ugly.
When the new form of solid state
lighting (hopefully sheet lighting)
turns up, which is reasonably priced,
has the right color and efficiency, then
room for luxury: a standee can
squeeze in more fare-payers at
lower cost per traveller. Passenger-
appeal means extra weight, and
that extra weight needs more fuel.
Reading Buses is to convert its
fleet of ‘eco-friendly’ bio-ethanol
buses to diesel. Bio-ethanol must
be imported from Sweden and the
buses are not only off the road for
maintenance more, but are also 40
per cent less efficient than diesels.
Even the Borisbus’s ‘carbon
footprint’ has run into criticism
from environmentalists: the much-
celebrated hydrogen-powered
buses, though made in Northern
Ireland, will be shipped to
California to have their engines
fitted (most of London’s RTs and
RMs were locally-built).
If operators are to get people
out of cars and on to buses and
coaches, they need to provide
comfortable, frequent, high-quality
services. But, resources are not
unlimited. So, will we ever enjoy
taking the green-land bus?
Ralph Adam
(sd324a@gmail.com)
I will move on from CFLs.
Peter Brooks MIET
Palm Bay, Florida
I read your article on the CFL bulbs
with interest as I am not a convert.
There is one fact that you did not
mention that I found interesting. The
European CFL manufacturers lobbied
the EU parliament to legislate for the
new low energy (low light!) bulbs
because they have invested huge
sums to introduce them. They are
concerned that when LED technology
bulbs become a viable alternative the
CFL bulbs will just not be sold at all!
They are correct and so they are trying
to recover their investment. Thanks for
pointing out the 20W CFL. It might just
make an appearance in my house
when all the incandescent bulbs have
blown and I am in the dark!
John Ciriani IEng MIIE MIET
By email