Electric Bus Burst into Flames During East Coast Heatwave – One Day After Connecticut Gov. Requires All Future State Vehicles to Run on Electric Power

Electric Bus Burst into Flames During East Coast Heatwave – One Day After Connecticut Gov. Requires All Future State Vehicles to Run on Electric Power

By Jim Hoft 
 

On Saturday morning, during the heatwave that swept the East Coast, a new electrically powered public transportation bus caught on fire as it sat in the bus parking lot, according to fire officials.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/electric-bus-burst-flames-...

 

The Hamden Connecticut Fire Department was dispatched to the CT Transit bus depot in order to extinguish the fire that had spread throughout the electric bus.

 

According to the authorities, it is still unclear if the lithium-ion battery was responsible for the fire that broke out on the electric bus.

“Lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish due to the thermal chemical process that produces great heat and continually reignites,” the fire officials said in a statement.

 

“Two CT Transit workers were transported as a precaution from exposure to the smoke, and one firefighter was transported for heat exhaustion,” authorities said.

The incident is being investigated by the fire marshal.

 

The incident comes after Governor Ned Lamont (CT-D) announced a new State Law that requires Connecticut to transfer all State vehicles to electrical power.

 

On Friday, Governor Lamont joined state agency officials, legislators, and environmental stakeholders on the New Haven Green to highlight the enactment of Public Act 22-25.

 

This is a new law that includes a number of actions that will allegedly help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector, improve air quality and health outcomes for Connecticut residents, and help to mitigate impacts from the climate crisis, according to the news release.

 

“This historic law does so many great things that will benefit the residents of Connecticut, improving air quality and health outcomes while also helping to mitigate the climate crisis,” Governor Lamont said. “This is another great example of Connecticut leading on climate, particularly at a time when continued state leadership in this area is critical.”

 

“The measures in this unprecedented law mean cleaner air, better health outcomes, and reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said.

 

According to the news release, the bill’s provisions include:

 

Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Standards: Authorizes the DEEP commissioner to adopt regulations implementing California’s medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards. These standards will ensure that manufacturers are producing cleaner vehicles and offering them for sale in Connecticut, giving prospective consumers more options while reducing a major source of in-state air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

State Fleet Electrification: Modifies the schedule for electrifying the state fleet, prohibits procurement of diesel-powered buses after January 1, 2024.

 

Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) Program: Makes numerous changes to the CHEAPR program, including making the CHEAPR board advisory-only, modifying the board’s membership, giving priority to low-income individuals and residents of environmental justice communities, and extending eligibility to businesses, municipalities, nonprofits, and e-bikes; directs all of the greenhouse gas reduction fee and part of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds to the CHEAPR account.

 

Zero Emission School Buses: Allows for ten-year school transportation contracts if the contract includes at least one zero-emission school bus; sets target of 100% zero-emission school buses in environmental justice communities by 2030, and for all school districts by 2040; establishes a matching grant program of up to $20 million for the EPA Clean School Bus program

 

Medium and Heavy-Duty Truck Vouchers: Allows DEEP to establish a voucher program to support the use of zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles and funds the program from the CHEAPR account.

 

Traffic Signal Grant Program: Requires CTDOT to establish a matching grant program to help municipalities modernize existing traffic signal equipment.

 

Right to Charge: Establishes “right to charge” in condominiums and common interest communities, provides for “renter’s right to charge” with certain specifications.

 

New Construction Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Requirements: Requires a certain percentage of parking spaces in certain new construction to be equipped with either EV charging stations or charging station infrastructure.

 

Watch the bureaucratic nincompoops yakking nonsense in the video below:

 

SEE GATEWAY URL at the top

APPENDIX 1

ELECTRIC TRANSIT AND SCHOOL BUS SYSTEMS REDUCE LITTLE CO2, ARE NOT COST-EFFECTIVE

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/electric-bus-systems-l...

 

China has made electric buses and EVs a priority in urban areas to reduce excessive air pollution, due to: 1) coal-fired power plants, and 2) increased vehicle traffic.

 

The US has much less of a pollution problem than China, except in its larger urban areas. 

The US uses much less coal, more domestic natural gas, and CO2-free nuclear is still around.

 

New England has a pollution problem in its southern urban areas.

Vermont has a minor pollution problem in Burlington and a few other urban areas.

 

RE folks want to “Electrify Everything”; an easily uttered slogan

 

It would require:                                                                     

 

- Additional power plants, such as nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, bio

- Additional grid augmentation/expansion to connect wind and solar systems, and to carry the loads for EVs and heat pumps

- Additional battery systems to store midday solar output surges for later use, i.e., DUCK-curve management.

- Additional centralized, command/control/orchestrating (turning off/on appliances, heat pumps, EVs, etc.) by utilities to avoid overloading distribution and high voltage electric grids regarding:

 

1) Charging times of EVs and operating times of heat pumps, and major appliances

2) Demands of commercial/industrial businesses

 

RE Folks Want More EVs and Buses Bought With “Free” Money

 

RE folks drive the energy priorities of New England governments. RE folks want to use about $40 million of “free” federal COVID money and Volkswagen Settlement money to buy electric transit and school buses to deal with a minor pollution problem in a few urban areas in Vermont. RE folks urge Vermonters to buy:

 

Mass Transit Buses

Electric: $750,000 - $1,000,000 each, plus infrastructures, such as indoor parking, high-speed charging systems.

Standard Diesel: $380,000 - $420,000; indoor parking and charging systems not required.

 

School Buses

Electric: $330,000 - $375,000, plus infrastructures

Standard Diesel: about $100,000

https://atlaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Electric-Buses-a...

  

This article shows the 2 Proterra transit buses in Burlington, VT, would reduce CO2 at very high cost per metric ton, and the minor annual operating cost reduction would be overwhelmed by the cost of amortizing $million buses that last about 12 to 15 years.

 

The $40 million of “free” money would be far better used to build zero-energy, and energy-surplus houses for suffering households; such housing would last at least 50 to 75 years.

  

NOTE: Per Economics 101, spending huge amounts of borrowed capital on various projects that 1) have very poor financials, and 2) yield minor reductions in CO2 at high cost, is a recipe for:

 

1) Low economic efficiency, and

2) Low economic growth, on a state-wide and nation-wide scale, which would:

 

- Adversely affect Vermont and US competitiveness in markets, and

- Adversely affect living standards and 3) inhibit unsubsidized/efficient/profitable job creation. 

 

Real Costs of Government RE Programs Likely Will Remain Hidden

 

Vermont’s government engaging in electric bus demonstration programs, financed with “free” money, likely will prove to be expensive undertakings, requiring hidden subsidies, white-washing and obfuscation.

 

Lifetime spreadsheets, with 1) turnkey capital costs, 2) annual cashflows, 3) annual energy cost savings, 4) annual CO2 reductions, and 5) cost of CO2 reduction/metric ton, with all assumptions clearly stated and explained, likely will never see the light of day.

APPENDIX 2 

BATTERY SYSTEM CAPITAL COSTS, OPERATING COSTS, ENERGY LOSSES, AND AGING

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/battery-system-capital...

HAVING FUN WATCHING WIND AND SOLAR FAILING TO STEP UP TO POWER THE WORLD ECONOMY

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/having-fun-watching-wi...

“BUILD BACK BETTER” WOULD COST $4.490 TRILLION OVER THE NEXT DECADE, IF PROVISIONS WERE MADE TO LAST 10 YEARS

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/build-back-better-woul...

I-95 ICE STORM OVERNIGHT TRAFFIC JAM; IMAGINE YOU WERE STUCK IN AN EV

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/i-95-ice-storm-overnig...

BIDEN 30,000 MW OFFSHORE WIND SYSTEMS BY 2030; AN EXPENSIVE FANTASY  

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/biden-30-000-mw-of-off...

AS GERMANY’s GREEN DREAM BECOMES A NIGHTMARE, ASIA AND RUSSIA POWER AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR POWER

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/as-germany-s-green-dre...

PUMPED STORAGE HYDRO PLANTS IN NEW ENGLAND, IF 100% WIND AND SOLAR

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/pumped-storage-hydro-p...

THE UKRAINE PLOT IS THICKENING WITH GERMANY AND FRANCE BARELY IN LOCKSTEP WITH US/UK-LED NATO

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening...

DEEP-WATER FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES IN MAINE

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/deep-water-floating-off...

CHEVY BOLT CATCHES FIRE WHILE CHARGING ON DRIVEWAY IN VERMONT

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/chevy-bolt-catches-fir...

HERE IS AN EXCELLENT EXPLANATION REGARDING EV CHARGING AT 32F OR LESS

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/here-is-an-excellent-e...

POOR ECONOMICS AND MINIMAL CO2 REDUCTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN NEW ENGLAND

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/poor-economics-of-elec...

APPENDIX 3

One front of the climate alarmist war on fossil fuels, freedom and prosperity is the effort to force companies to state the financial “risks” the climate “crisis” presents.

This mischief has taken place not in rulemaking at the Environmental Protection Agency, but rather at the Securities and Exchange Commission and in political lawsuits filed by virtue signaling leftist Democrat State Attorneys General (like Janet Mills when she was running for Governor) and green partisan warriors like the Sierra Club, and 350.org.

The SEC rule is up for public comment and eminent scientists William Happer (Princeton) and Richard Lindzen (MIT) filed a doozy.

Titled “Comment and Declaration on the SEC’s Proposed Rule “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors,”

it is available at Happer-Lindzen-SEC-6-17-22.pdf

This image shows Satellite and Balloon datasets, WHICH ARE NOT MASSAGED, consistency read lower temperature than the average of 102 computer-generated graphs, which are based on SUBJECTIVELY MASSAGED DATA.

The shown data is for a 45-y period

Satellite readings increasing from 0.00 to 0.45 C

Computer graphs increasing from 0.00 to 1.20 C; MORE THAN TWICE AS FAST

 

If you extend all trends to a 100-y period, the satellite, etc., warming would be less than 40% of the computer warming.