Roland Perry wrote on 19 December 2011 17:29:16 ...
And in other news, it seems it's a perpetual motion machine in London:

"Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery
using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on
diesel."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634

But I'm glad I diagnosed the problem correctly (there's some value in an
engineering degree after all!):

"However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway
journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it
can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of
the road to allow the battery to recharge."

London to Bedfordshire is not a "long" journey. And briefing the driver
to stop on a motorway is tantamount to inciting a criminal offence. A
vehicle that is not able to drive from London to Luton on a motorway
should not be allowed on a motorway at all.

One wonders what the non-stop range is on a hot day with a full load and
the air conditioning at full stretch.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)