Convert bus to an EV?

[freds]

There's a company that is creating a tag along single axle for semi-trucks that seems to have components that we would need to do this. It's designed to move an 80,000 pound semi-truck 250 miles. Target price in volume is $50,000.00...

Here's a YouTube video on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSB3WaeolcU

And the company that is going to make it.

https://drivetandem.com/

If you yank the engine/transmission/cooling system and the fuel tank I would think that you have enough installation volume to add this.

[PrevostNewbie]

This looks cool Fred, Good to hear from you. Are we going to see you in Quartzsite in January?

[freds]

This looks cool Fred, Good to hear from you. Are we going to see you in Quartzsite in January?

I believe so, however I have been hanging out in Brownsville TX hoping to see a big ass SpaceX experimental rocket launch that will make the Saturn five moon rocket look like a fire cracker.

So to meet up with everyone in Quartzsite I need to leave mid January however paying up front I could stay to end of January. So it will be hard call if it goes past the 15th...

[PrevostNewbie]

Awesome, Getting down there around South Padre is on my bucket list for sure. I hear they don't always launch on time, heavily weather dependent. If you can make it that will be great. Same place same time.

[Hoffman]

Freds,
I've been following the electric RV idea closely including conversations with high end coach manufacturers pushing them and learning from those that have been thinking of this problem for a while. The biggest challenge I've identified is the charging and range challenge. Certainly the tandem electric axel would not work directly for our coaches. And if you remove the engine/trans/fuel, then you're 100% dependent on electricity. Range is just a battery size problem? Not actually. The limiting factor is recharging infrastructure. It's easy to bolt on more batteries, but not easy to get them charged at your local RV park. If you examine the charging capacity of our typical RV park 50A pedestal, you'd find that you'd still be charging the next morning to get sufficient range. "Sufficient" is defined to be something typical of existing coaches which is comfortably 500+ miles. An electric coach with only 250 miles of range would be a complete market failure. Remember that your effective range is 60-70% of the theoretical range. Noone can run 100% of range, just not practical no matter your fuel type.

So while I'd be one of the first to buy an electric coach, the industry (and charging infrastructure) isn't quite there yet. I'm optimistic this will be solved in the near future. I wish DriveTandem luck in their endevour for the short haul trucking industry.

[freds]

Freds,
I've been following the electric RV idea closely including conversations with high end coach manufacturers pushing them and learning from those that have been thinking of this problem for a while. The biggest challenge I've identified is the charging and range challenge.
So while I'd be one of the first to buy an electric coach, the industry (and charging infrastructure) isn't quite there yet. I'm optimistic this will be solved in the near future. I wish DriveTandem luck in their endevour for the short haul trucking industry.

I hear you, but if you can travel more leisurely say 250 miles a day your would be checking in just after lunch if you went to a RV park. So that gives more time to charge.

But yes truck based EV charging is still a few years out. While driving my Tesla down to LA there was a Tesla super charger station 50+ stalls and it looked like they had space for vehicles towing trailers.

But hey I do think it is coming more than one way or another... Just thought I would throw what I learned out there...

[PrevostNewbie]

Fred, this reminds me, how is your Tesla Battery pack doing in your bus?

[captain]

Planning on doing something like this in a couple years. Thing is you should expect .5miles per kWh so need a TON of batteries.

Prevost announced they're building ev busses and will make a retrofit for older ones... not sure how old though