Flash charging electric buses in 20 European cities (TOSA)

Impetus

Diesel buses are one of the filthiest air polluters on the streets - even those operating to EUR 6. Geneva, and about 20 other European cities are converting their buses to flash charging battery powered. They do not need overhead power lines like conventional trams or conventional electric buses. They accelerate quickly, after a quick, automated charge at some stops along their journey.

The charging cycle takes about 15 seconds. The batteries are installed on the roof of a TOSA bus, and the charging point is self connecting at a bus stop using laser guidance. The electric motors take up far less space than a conventional engine and are virtually maintenance-free.

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/07/20160715-abb.html

Particulates from diesel engines are a health hazard, leading to several million premature deaths in the world every year. The legal case for eliminating diesel is similar to the smoking issue. One that can't be ignored.

Video: https://youtu.be/UbLwD1z-ubU

Factsheet: https://library.e.abb.com/public/8668de29670f46138ce0af9b22e28372/ABB_factsheetA4_TOSA_reference_EN.pdf

http://mobilityintegrationsymposium.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/11/3B_2_EMob17_051_paper_Holz_Valentin.pdf

bk

Impetus wrote: »

Diesel buses are one of the filthiest air polluters on the streets - even those operating to EUR 6.

That simply isn't true. With Dieselgate we discovered that Diesel cars are producing between 40 to 80 times the amount of PM/NOX as was allowed. When they did the same tests on Euro 6 buses and trucks on the road, they found they were within 1% of the rules.

It was found that a new Volkswagen car was producing 10 times as much PM/NOX as a Dublin Bus! And that isn't taking into account the per passenger basis, which would make a VW car roughly 800 to 900 times worse then the bus!!!

The problem isn't these buses which are relatively clean (but obviously not zero), the problem is the 70% of new car sales in Ireland last year which were Diesel cars and which are producing vast quantities of PM/NOX, vastly more then any bus.

Pointing the finger at buses is missing the GIANT ELEPHANT in the room.

Impetus wrote: »

The charging cycle takes about 15 seconds. The batteries are installed on the roof of a TOSA bus, and the charging point is self connecting at a bus stop using laser guidance. The electric motors take up far less space than a conventional engine and are virtually maintenance-free.

The batteries are installed on the roof

- That is the problem for us, all the EV buses are single deckers and put the batteries on the roof. We mostly use double deckers and you can't put batteries on the roof due to it being too high and top heavy.

There have been trials of battery EV double deckers, but so far they haven't been successful, too heavy and too much passenger space taken. As battery tech improves, I've no doubt we will eventually get there with double deckers, but they are still a few years away.

BTW I don't think this flash charging tech will work for most bus operators. It is a poor stopgap until battery costs come down further. Basically most operators want their buses to have enough range to do a full days operation out on the road and recharge back in the depot overnight/offpeak.

These sort of bus stop chargers are an absolute maintenance, safety and cost neighbour and looks terrible on the street.

Single decker EV buses are now starting to be produced with enough range to do a full days running, so IMO tech like this days are numbered.

BTW we are moving to hybrid Double Decker buses this year which will be a welcome improvement and we already got the first full EV bus up at Dublin Airport, with rumours of many more to come if successful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Kf1Yuq_94

Idbatterim

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/cork-s-green-bus-to-make-maiden-trip-to-ringaskiddy-1.3837229?mode=amp

embraer170

I lived in a city with a flash charging buses on one of the lines. Absolute disaster it was, with reliability issues almost every day. Of course, it's a new technology so that is to be expected.