Jeri Ellsworth - what has she done now?

[Excavatoree]

Jeri Ellsworth did a video about a wasteful 4000 dollar (US) system to warn people about a bus.  She pontificates about the utility of such a system, and then does a quick and dirty prototype for far less money.



Someone using the YouTube account PeterBartek, perhaps, possibly the person listed here:
http://protran1.com/ContactUs097.htm

Said that Jeri had set the progress of women back 100 years.

Now, how does a company employ someone so stupid as their "Director of Technology?"

Looks like he doesn't like someone educating taxpayers  that he's selling the electronic equivalent of "snake oil" for an inflated price.

I've been a bus electrical system designer, and I've seen a lot of BS companies try to sell their BS products to customers who insist it be on their bus.  My guess is free dinners on the taxpayers (eventual) dime sell a lot of useless crap.

[NiHaoMike]

I've been a bus electrical system designer, and I've seen a lot of BS companies try to sell their BS products to customers who insist it be on their bus.  My guess is free dinners on the taxpayers (eventual) dime sell a lot of useless crap.

Have you done any work on hybrid buses? I can tell you that the Texas A&M buses are definitely not good examples of hybrid technology. During acceleration and regeneration, the harmonics of the motor drive inverter output as well as a 12kHz or so PWM tone are clearly audible anywhere inside the bus. (Which is actually quite interesting to a power electronics engineer but I'm sure most passengers do not like it.) And a lot of the time, the regen comes on so abruptly that standing passengers not expecting it occasionally lose their balance.

[the_raptor]

And a lot of the time, the regen comes on so abruptly that standing passengers not expecting it occasionally lose their balance.

How is that different from normal busses braking? Maybe you are just used to better drivers, but around here you better be holding onto something if you are standing.

[Simon]

yea reminds me of the local council moving the swimming pool and then hiring a firm for over £100'000 to advise them on what top do witrh the ground

[Sionyn]

ive learnt never to argue with a woman
so this is a good idea

[Excavatoree]

Article:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/03/trimets_talking_buses_youtube.html

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/jeri-ellsworth-vs-talking-buses-trimet.html



No, I never got into matters line hybrid electric drive.  I'm not sure there was commercially available hybrid drive technology 16 years ago.

We did build an electric bus, but it was not done in-house, that was far beyond our capabilities.  Heck, electronic engines (which were required to meet whatever EPA tier was going into place in 1998) were almost beyond our capabilities - and they were vendor parts!

EDIT: added article