NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow • Hacker News Board

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#51

Post by itsyaboi » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 6:39 PM UTC

ericmay wrote: post #43

itsyaboi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tarp is partially effective, just like the electric trucks.

Yes, partially effective until the new energy efficient window is installed. Stop gap measure. Transition period. Etc. I apologize if that wasn't extremely obvious from what I already wrote.

No need to apologize.

The concern here is that the stopgap measure (the tarp/electric trucks) are implemented too early. The superior replacement window does not yet exist. There is no need to remove the older window and deal with a hole in the side of your house for half a year while you wait for new windows to hit the market.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#52

Post by m-p-3 » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 6:53 PM UTC

As long as these part of the fleet are seen as a justifiable exemption, they can still deploy EV wherever possible. It's not a defeat in itself, just that the current technology still needs to figure out some shortfalls.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#53

Post by comte7092 » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:26 PM UTC

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #26

legitster wrote: post #11

> “ With current technology, full electrification isn’t possible now for some parts of our fleet, but we are monitoring closely and really hope it will be,” Gragnani said. We are really letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. At this moment in time, Plug-in hybrids are the superior technology for nearly every application. I don't understand why they get so overlooked by consumers and manufacturers alike.

I've been saying this for years. I just don't understand it. A car that can drive ~40 miles on pure electric that has an ICE for longer trips would satisfy the needs of everyone. For like 90+% of people, it would mean never using gas for their commute while also eliminating range anxiety. I'm especially surprised about the lack of plug-in hybrids for semi trucks. I'd think having a little extra electronic torque woul…

I live in an apartment. I drive a full EV and the 200+ miles range allows me to get away with charging at public chargers intermittently rather than having to plug in basically every night.

If I had a plug in hybrid, it wouldn’t get plugged in.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#54

Post by opwieurposiu » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:27 PM UTC

dekhn wrote: post #41

xenadu02 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This more than doubles the complexity, increases weight, has much lower battery capacity, and still sticks you with the maintenance work required for the ICE. Plus gas is a very volatile mix that degrades; you must run the ICE regularly to ensure the tank gets cycled.

Uh, exactly how long can I go between running the ICE engine before... something(?) happens to my gas and engine?

You want to run an engine once a month or so to keep all the internal parts protected from rust by a thin film of oil. It is best to let it heat up all the way to drive out as much moisture as possible.

Internal rusting is a big issue on airplanes that do not get flown often enough. The first thing to go are the cam shafts.

https://www.aviationpros.com/home/article/10387461/corrosion...

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#55

Post by hangonhn » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:27 PM UTC

legitster wrote: post #47

hattmall wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unlikely to be a one time thing. But recurrently letting gas sit for extended periods of time could cause issues. This mostly only applies to ethanol containing fuels. This is why boats need to use 100% gas. You should do the same for a plugin hybrid if you don't cycle the tank at least every 2-3 weeks. That's all it takes to damage a boat if it sits. Cars will be better but the repeated exposure would certainly…

BMW had something for their i3 that ran the engine automatically every so often for this very reason. But they also only stuck it with a 2 gallon tank.

My friends LOVE their i3 and it was like their gateway drug to EVs. I think if BMW had kept going on that concept, it would have create a true winner. They NEVER needed to refill their backup tank in the 2 or 3 years they leased. I think BMW did something special to make the gas tank keep the gasoline that long. In that span of time, battery mode satisfied all their needs and they loved driving it.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#56

Post by mrmckizzle » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:28 PM UTC

I'm surprised, I thought the electric engines would supply more torque. Thereby making it easier to plow snow.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#57

Post by colechristensen » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:29 PM UTC

comte7092 wrote: post #53

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been saying this for years. I just don't understand it. A car that can drive ~40 miles on pure electric that has an ICE for longer trips would satisfy the needs of everyone. For like 90+% of people, it would mean never using gas for their commute while also eliminating range anxiety. I'm especially surprised about the lack of plug-in hybrids for semi trucks. I'd think having a little extra electronic torque woul…

I live in an apartment. I drive a full EV and the 200+ miles range allows me to get away with charging at public chargers intermittently rather than having to plug in basically every night. If I had a plug in hybrid, it wouldn’t get plugged in.

I’ve had a couple of apartments install ev chargers in every parking space in the last few years. That kind of thing is going to get progressively more common.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#58

Post by DavidPeiffer » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:31 PM UTC

dekhn wrote: post #41

xenadu02 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This more than doubles the complexity, increases weight, has much lower battery capacity, and still sticks you with the maintenance work required for the ICE. Plus gas is a very volatile mix that degrades; you must run the ICE regularly to ensure the tank gets cycled.

Uh, exactly how long can I go between running the ICE engine before... something(?) happens to my gas and engine?

I don't recall specific models, but I have read some (many? most?) plug-in hybrids monitor how long since the tank was last filled and at a certain point will run the gas engine to work through the fuel before it goes bad.

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#59

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:32 PM UTC

mrmckizzle wrote: post #56

I'm surprised, I thought the electric engines would supply more torque. Thereby making it easier to plow snow.

[deleted]

Re: NYC officials say they can't find EV garbage trucks powerful enough to plow snow

#60

Post by i_am_proteus » Wed, Jan 04, 2023, 7:32 PM UTC

mrmckizzle wrote: post #56

I'm surprised, I thought the electric engines would supply more torque. Thereby making it easier to plow snow.

While the headline references "power," the issue is that these electric trucks do not have enough battery capacity to plow snow for a full day before recharging overnight.

I have always thought that municipal road services had great potential to be electrified via partial catenary: take power from (and charge batteries) where the roads are electrified, discharge battery where the roads are not electrified.