Re:Bring back hydrogen lifting gas
by Fnoord on Tuesday August 10, 2021 @05:20AM
(#28126694)
There's more to compete with though: train and ship. Both have severely lower carbon footprint than airplane as well. Ship might seem terrible at first glance, but the amount of tonnes being transported is so huge that it outweighs the fuel.
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Competition is always a problem. Trains cannot compete with trucks in most cases because logistics are dirt cheap and trucks are more flexible.
Re:Bring back hydrogen lifting gas
by Broken_Hippo on Tuesday August 10, 2021 @06:57AM
(#28127247)
Oh, but they can - and they do. It is really common for freight to go the distance it can by rail and then the last miles by truck - they load the entire semi trailer onto the train and only have to load the trailer once.
Trains aren't as flexible as trucks, true. But a train can go hundreds of miles with only two dedicated people - the engineer and the conductor - and they pull hundreds of trucks (and more). A lot of trains in the US are more efficient: They have a diesel generator that runs the electric motors on the wheels.
Even better: In the US, the tracks prioritize freight trains. Amtrak usually rents the space, and you get stuck waiting for freight to pass (at least in Indiana).
I have relatives that work as engineers and conductors for a freight train company, by the way.