When it comes to the environment the most efficient use is to leave it in the ground.

Hybrids work for trains because they are so large and don't need big swings of acceleration or to climb steep grades. They can run the diesel generators at maximum efficiency.

Battery power would be better, because you can build even larger power plants running at higher heats and not have to haul them with you, but the costs of sufficient battery is too large, so far. That is changing.

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einpoklum an hour ago | parent [-]

Isn't it better for trains to just to draw from the electric grid?

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csours an hour ago | parent [-]

Do you have to run new electric transmission lines? Will you have to maintain those power lines?

	▲	fragmede 2 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Someone could graph the cost/benefit ratio on putting the batteries on the trains vs putting wires up everywhere.
	▲	mrguyorama 29 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		We once dammed basically every river in the nation because it was in vogue at the time. Maybe building overhead power lines for rail infrastructure should be the "hip" thing right now instead of AI. Maybe building oodles of solar power farms and batteries should be "hip" We built electrical infrastructure to the most remote residences just because we could and because it was an investment in our people. We directly funded our massive and formerly world class rail network because we could, and because it would pay off. We built a world class road network half as a make-work project, and it still pays dividends. We purchased Alaska, with no obvious reason. We built a space program to have slightly better nuclear weapons, and it's part of the reason we were so dominant in computer chips for so long. We have spent something like 40 trillion dollars over the past 25 years, and almost none of it on anything of real value. More than a little of that debt is just handouts to already rich people. We can build new electric transmission lines and I'm so tired of things that we absolutely 100% can do if we just demand it be done being somehow treated as a problem. America can afford infrastructure.