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An Arctic Bus | Earth Wise

February 17, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Developing a bus capable of navigating in the Arctic

People have built vehicles for all sorts of extreme environments.  There are deep-sea exploration vessels and there have been lunar and Mars rovers.  But one thing that hasn’t existed so far are buses to transport groups of people around in extreme conditions in the Arctic.  Engineers at two Russian Universities are developing a passenger bus for riding in the Far North.   The project is being funded by the Russian Federation Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the URAL Automobile Manufacturing Plant.

The requirements for the vehicle are daunting.  The bus must be operable at extreme temperatures – 60 below zero Fahrenheit and lower – and have no difficulties even in challenging off-road conditions.

Current Arctic crew buses are not capable of getting through snow blockages and the all-terrain tracked vehicles that can get through them do not have sufficient passenger capacity. In addition to being able to go through snowbanks, the bus should be able to float on water for an hour.

Apart from its ability to withstand harsh Arctic conditions, the bus will also have a quarters module.  This means that it will have an autonomous life-support system for passengers in case of emergency.  The quarters module will be designed to sustain up to 20 people for up to 24 hours.  The module might also be used to hold medical equipment, thereby enabling practitioners to reach remote settlements and treat patients. 

The first tests of prototypes for the bus will be conducted in the near future.  The project aims to have the new Arctic Bus design complete and ready for manufacture by the end of 2023 and it will go into production in 2024.

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“Arctic Bus” Being Readied to Be Tested in the Far North

Photo, posted April 21, 2017, courtesy of Markus Trienke via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Lockdown Cleans Up Indian Air | Earth Wise

May 13, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Coronavirus lockdown cleans the air

Our stories often discuss how human activities change the natural environment.  With most of us confined to our homes, the lack of human activities is having profound effects on the environment.  We are talking about some of these this week.

India suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the world.  Of the most polluted cities in the world, 21 out of 30 were in India in 2019.  According to World Health Organization standards, at least 140 million people in India breathe air containing 10 times or more greater levels than the safe limit for pollutants.  Air pollution contributes to the premature death of 2 million Indians every year.

Half of India’s air pollution comes from industry, 27% from vehicles, and 17% from crop burning.  Crop burning is prevalent because it is much cheaper than mechanical tilling after the harvest.

On March 25, the Indian government placed its 1.3 billion citizens under a strict lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID-19.   The country-wide mandate decreased activity at factories and drastically reduced car, bus, truck, and airplane traffic.

Within one week, NASA satellite sensor observed aerosol levels at a 20-year low for this time of year in northern India.  Aerosols are tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the air that reduce visibility and can damage the human lungs and heart.  Some aerosols have natural sources, such as dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires.  But many come from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and croplands.  Scientists expected to see changes in atmospheric conditions during the Indian lockdown, but the current changes are dramatic.  They also present a unique opportunity to separate how natural and human sources of aerosols affect the atmosphere.

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Airborne Particle Levels Plummet in Northern India

Photo, posted April 29, 2020, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Electric Buses On The Rise

November 2, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-11-02-18-Electric-Buses-on-the-Rise.mp3

Electric buses are replacing conventional diesel-fueled buses at an accelerating rate that is outpacing the adoption of battery-powered cars.  According to forecasts by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, by 2030 some 28% of car sales will be electric vehicles while 84% of new buses will be electric buses.  So far, some 12 years away, the actual adoption of electric buses is outpacing this optimistic projection.

[Read more…] about Electric Buses On The Rise

An Electric VW Bus

June 19, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/EW-06-19-18-An-Electric-VW-Bus.mp3

For baby boomers, the Volkswagen bus was the iconic vehicle of the 1960s counterculture.  It was introduced in 1950, was popular among Gen Xers coming of age in the 1980s, and lasted in one form or another until 2013, when the last one was built in Brazil.

[Read more…] about An Electric VW Bus

Coffee Power

January 3, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EW-01-03-18-Coffee-Power.mp3

The residents of London are known for tea drinking, but in fact each of them consumes an average of 2.3 cups of coffee a day as well.  But now, it won’t just be commuters that are running on coffee in the morning.  London buses will in part run on oil produced from coffee grounds.

[Read more…] about Coffee Power

Safer Places For Bus Riders

December 22, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/EW-12-22-17-Safer-Places-for-Bus-Riders.mp3

Taking the bus in crowded cities is a good way to reduce overall traffic, save money on gas, and do a good turn for the environment.   Unfortunately, bus riders often are exposed to large amounts of pollution in the process.

[Read more…] about Safer Places For Bus Riders

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