South Yorks PIE get switched on
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EXPERIMENTAL Crompton battery electric buses have been acquired by South Yorks PTE and one will begin service in Doncaster next week.
The two buses were built in 1972 on a contract from the Department of Industry and have previously seen service in Leeds and Liverpool.
The first vehicle has already been extensively modified and refurbished as a 21-seat midibus. The sister bus is expected to be ready for service later in the summer.
The two electric vehicles are both fitted at present with lead. acid batteries, giving a range between charges of about 40 miles, although the PTE hope to test new types of batteries as research progresses and battery technology is developed by industry.
It also hopes to fit the vehicles with regenerative braking in the future. During regenerative braking the current through the traction motor is reversed, turning the motor into a small generator.
The energy which would normally be lost in heat generated in the brake drums would be converted instead into useful electricity and fed back to the batteries.