http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/ultracapacitor-electric-buses-china.php
Basically, electric trolley buses without the overhead wires. Every few miles they must stop for 5-10 minutes, raise their poll, and charge.
I thought the other transit geeks might find this interesting. :)
-d
Well, if this takes off, all the better! There was something remotely similar already, I think in Switzerland... with flywheels? I guess capacitors are really more suited for this...
EDIT: Wow, 200 amps... I wonder how is the charging connection made.
I've just seen it. Sounds interesting as the main problem of hybrid vehicles is that batteries technologies are not as developed as they should.
I wonder if they could/do run on overhead lines in places, and can charge on the go. That would give more flexibility in routing, and reduced infrastructure requirements.
With the current range and charging times, I expect this system might only be usable on short distance-high capacity lines, like airports and such. When using on longer lines, it basically takes a charging station on every bus stop, quickly rising the cost of investments to be made to an extend where it's just not economical anymore.
Since buses stop often, and power lines or cables are already there in cities, I think this idea has potential. Good to see other options than the rechargeable batteries and fuel cells being evaluated too.