Filed under: Biodiesel, Hybrid, Transportation Alternatives, USA
Hybrid streetcar to lead Savannah Climate Action Parade
The sweet Southern city of Savannah has gotten North America's first hybrid streetcar rolling along its historic River Street in time to lead the parade this Tuesday celebrating Climate Action Week. The trolley was re-engineered and refurbished in Altoona, PA by TranSystems and will run on biodiesel derived, in part, from used cooking oil from some of the city's many restaurants. Although the drivetrain is pretty high-tech and it has modern touches like wheelchair accessibility, it sports a nostalgic early-20th-century look and is the first streetcar to grace Savannah since 1946. It will be integrated into the city's transit system and will carry up to 100 passengers at a time over a mile-long stretch of the riverfront.
The parade, also featuring many of the city's other green vehicles like bikes and electric scooters, highlights Climate Action Week which is a national "week of action" organized by International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and Climate Communities. Hit the jump for a pair of videos showing off this old-time modern marvel inside and out.
[Source: The Creative Coast Alliance]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wincros 10:31AM (12/08/2008)
A lot of confusion here. A trolley is all electric. A hybrid would be a step backwards. This is a bus disguised as a trolley. Hoo hah.
A trolley system here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley
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kide- 10:43AM (12/08/2008)
I don't get it... Why can't they use electric ones like the rest of the world has done last 150 years?
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Stan 12:46AM (12/26/2008)
The absurd current four million dollars per mile for overhead trolley power; the re-stringing of overhead utility plant that has been buried for decades, and the visual pollution of catenary systems make external electric untenable in the 21st century. Bordeaux France recently installed Alstom's wireless street cars signalling the new direction: wireless. Hydrolleys can trump even these when the hydrogen is electrolyzed in post-midnght hours when nuclear and the cleanest fossil plants are online. Overhead trolleys use peak hour load—the highest carbon content per watt and the most expensive rate of the day. Overhead trolleys they are literally are over the hill. (See www.hydrail.org)
Chance 9:55AM (12/09/2008)
River Street is highly historical, maybe they don't want/can't put those ugly hanging wires over a mainly pedestrian and historical street.
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Summer Teal Simpson 12:37PM (12/15/2008)
Thanks for linking to our story! The event was packed and proved a success.
In reading previous comments, it does indeed seem clear why this is the first hybrid streetcar in North America! Because all other streetcars traditionally run electrically. Now, I'm not sure why they chose this method except for the fact that (as Chance mentions) River Street is highly historic. Not only do infrastructure and other visible design changes/updates have to be approved by a highly strict Historic Review Board, but they also have to meet certain specifications of the National Historic District designation.
My hope is that, while not as green perhaps as some electric cars, we can spread the enthusiasm for these cars throughout the city. They may have to be hybrid but they're likely to be used a hell of a lot more than the current bus system (especially by tourists).
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alston 6:58PM (1/23/2009)
The spider web of overhead lines is not at all ugly. When I travel to tram cities, we often take photos of the wire schemes. Those wires represent clean air. Nothing ugly about it. As for the new "box" trams with the scatterbrained seating arrangements, I find they lack any character and do not fit in with the narrow streets and architecture of otherwise charming cities. Amsterdam is a great example of how to create a visual pollution by giving up the graceful trams for Wal-Mart boxes. As for Savannah, it would be nice if they were electric. The wires would absolutely not distract from the beauty of that city, but rather add to it.
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