Electric bus tests at Morskie Oko. Will the dispute end?
An electric passenger bus runs on the trail to Morskie Oko in the Tatra Mountains. Vehicle testing is in full swing. Will technology be able to replace horses and end the controversy associated with this route?
Electric bus instead of horses?
The Tatra National Park has just started implementing one of the points of the agreement it concluded with pro-animal organizations, highlanders and the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The Viva Foundation won tests of an electric bus and there was a real chance that the scandals of horses dying from exhaustion would end. Let us remind you that the matter became serious after the May weekend, when one of the horses tripped on the route. The fight then intensified and resulted in the signing of an agreement.
According to Dziennik Polski, the tests have been ongoing since the beginning of the week and will last 14 days. A 16-person electric bus is being testedadapted to transport disabled people.
What are bus tests?
The bus is tested primarily for its durability on mountain routes. Battery durability, number of courses and duration play a key role. If necessary, it is possible to connect batteries to charge batteries in Lysa Polana. But this is only the beginning of this type of tests, what works in summer will not necessarily be perfect in winter.
Winter is a mystery to us. It is known that during this period there is a lot of snow and ice on the road to Morskie Oko. Tests will also have to be carried out in winter.
– says Szymon Ziobrowski, director of the Tatra National Park, in an interview with Dziennik Polski.
This is not the only bus that will be tested on this route. On June 12, tests of an electric vehicle, manufactured in Poland, will take place. TPN is also open to hybrid vehicles.
We are open to various vehicles. We do not take into account melex cars.
– adds Ziobrowski.
When one of the vehicles passes the tests, TPN will purchase such cars. Next, traffic organization will be adjusted, which may not be an easy matter.
Will vehicles be able to completely replace horses on this famous route? Probably not, but they can certainly help ease the burden. For now, from June, the number of tourists in horse-drawn carriages will be limited (instead of 12 people, 10 will be able to be transported). In addition, horses' rest will be extended from 20 minutes to an hour.
Let us remind you that about 300 horses work on the route to Morskie Koń. The sale of licenses to transport tourists by horse-drawn carriage provides TPN with approximately PLN 1 million annually.
See: Electric cars will be cheaper than combustion cars, and soon
