Category: EV Bus

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Volvo hybrid bus with Siemens fast-charging system starts service in Hamburg

Officially launched at the International IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses equipped with a Siemens fast charging systems has taken its maiden tour in Hamburg, where it will be deployed from December on the 109 service.

“Battery technology is becoming increasingly attractive for use in buses. The electric hybrid bus is an important further step for us on the way to procuring 100% electric buses. Hochbahn sees itself as industry's partner in gathering important experience in everyday service,” said Ulrike Riedel, vice president for operation and human resources at public transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn.

The Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid has an electric hybrid powertrain that combines a four-cylinder diesel 240 hp (177 kW) with an electric motor of 150 kW. The latter receives energy from a lithium ion battery of 19 kWh total storage capacity, this allows travel in electric mode a distance of 7 km between charges.

The lithium-ion battery is charged via two charging rails on the roof. Fast charging stations have been set up next to the route with a contact arm fastened to a mast. If the bus is with range of the contact system, the drive operates the parking brake and charging will start automatically. Charging is performed fully automatically and ends as soon as the charging is fully completed. The process also can be cut short by releasing the parking brake.

The fast charging stations in Hamburg are the latest development from Siemens for high-performance charging systems for electric buses. On the buses, it is only necessary to mount contact rails and a WiFi communication box. That saves space, weight, and costs on each bus. Communication between the bus and the charging station is established by WiFi. In this way, the bus is identified and the requirements of the battery management system are transmitted to the charging station. To make contact, the contact arm is lowered onto the charging contacts on the bus. The bus is electrically grounded before current starts to flow. The flow of current between the vehicle and the charging station is controlled continuously and matched to the individual charge state and battery type. The charging operation is completed in no more than six minutes.

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Sydney International Airport Tests the World’s Longest Range Electric Bus

Carbridge Pty Ltd, an Australian airport ground transportation provider, has begun a six-month Electric Bus pilot program at Sydney International Airport. The bus selected for the pilot was made by BYD Company Ltd, which has been recognized over the past few months for its industry leading operational range. The bus will be used as an airport passenger shuttle.

At a launch ceremony held at Sydney International Airport, BYD Asia Pacific General Manager Liu Xueliang said, “Compared with fossil-fueled buses, BYD’s pure electric bus has zero emissions, doesn’t make noise and ensures a comfortable ride without disturbances associated with conventional buses of combustion engines. These characteristics will provide a great experience for visitors to the Airport.” Sydney Airport plans to electrify their entire bus fleet in the coming years.

BYD’s Battery Electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by a staff of more than 15,000 R&D engineers, such as the advanced environmentally friendly, BYD Iron-Phosphate battery, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking system. The break-through Iron-Phosphate battery is fire-safe and non-toxic: there are no caustic materials contained in the battery, no toxic electrolytes or heavy metals and can be completely recycled.

The BYD electric bus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for public transport riders, operators and people in the community — it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus can also drive for more than 250 km (155 miles) even in heavy city traffic on a single charge. The bus has completed more than 20 million kilometers of “in revenue service” and has been evaluated in many major cities all over the world.

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Ultra High Power Automatic Charging Station for Trucks Debuts at IAA 2014

The Opbrid Trůkbaar brings automatic fast charging to the world of heavy duty electric trucks for zero emissions. The Trůkbaar is 100% compatible with the standards-based Opbrid Bůsbaar V3 for buses.

While plug-in urban buses like the Volvo Electric Hybrid are natural candidates for fast charging en route, there are also very compelling business cases for fast charged electric trucks in diverse areas such as refuse collection, airport vehicles, ports, and delivery trucks. The Opbrid Trůkbaar is designed to be easily mounted on most trucks due to its compact, lightweight, and simple design. Both the Opbrid Trůkbaar and the new Opbrid Bůsbaar V3 share the same design by Furrer+Frey of Switzerland, with a pantograph which lowers from the curbside station, and an inexpensive transverse 4 contact bar on the roof of the vehicle.

The Opbrid Trůkbaar and Bůsbaar V3 are designed for ultra high power mode 4 DC charging, up to 650kW. This amount of power transfer uses safe and reliable conductive technology transferred from the European electric rail industry by our partner Furrer+Frey, with over 90 years of experience in high power transfer to locomotives. This amount of power transfer enables scenarios such as super short charge stops and 24 hour operation. Since the Opbrid Trůkbaar and Bůsbaar are 100% compatible, cities can leverage their investment in bus chargers by also using them for rubbish collection, delivery vehicles and street cleaners. Vehicles of various heights can charge at the same station due to the large vertical working range of the charging station.

The new design of the Opbrid Trůkbaar and Bůsbaar V3 also liberates designers to create curbside charging stations that blend into existing streetscapes, or that stand out as elegantly sculptured street furniture. This is because the overhead pantograph is compact and hidden underneath a weatherproof cover. This means that the mounting post as well as the weatherproof cover can be almost any shape imaginable, giving designers unlimited freedom.

Of course, safety is our utmost concern, so the Opbrid Trůkbaar and Bůsbaar V3 have been designed to conform to IEC and ISO standards for high power DC charging, with 4 contacts, correct contact sequence, and built-in verification of contact surface before charging. The parking tolerance is quite broad and reliable due to our years of experience making bus fast charging stations. An optional insulating cover for the on-vehicle part is available to add an additional layer of safety. The station retracts upward to over 4.5 meters when not charging to fulfill traffic regulations.

The Opbrid Trůkbaar and Bůsbaar V3 will be on display at the IAA 2014 in Hall 13, Stand F12.

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London’s hybrid buses to wirelessly recharge at stops

Hybrid London buses that use batteries and a motor will now start recharging at stops, wirelessly. The inductive charge should mean the engine won't need to be used as much, or at all.

The inductive charging, built into the bus stops, will be trialled by TfL in four stops in east London from next year. The special Enviro400H E400 hybrid buses, with wireless charging capabilities, will run on route 69 between Canning Town and Walthamstow.

By keeping the batteries topped up the buses should be able to run longer in battery mode meaning lower running costs and less environmental damage. The journey should offer less vibrations and noise while travelling too. The trial should help enhance the electric bus offerings in London.

There are currently six pure electric buses being tested in London also. The Mayor of London wants the city to be the world's first Ultra Low Emission Zone by 2020. There are currently 800 hybrid buses operating in London with 1,700 expected in 2016 – making up 20 per cent of the total bus fleet.

Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: "We are continuing our assessment of new technology in the capital that can deliver genuine environmental benefits. This trial of extended range diesel electric hybrid buses, utilising the latest inductive charging technology, could be a step closer to getting even cleaner double deck buses on London’s streets. We will be closely monitoring the results of the trials, which may help us adopt this new cleaner technology more widely in London."

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BYD Electric Bus Goes 1,200 km in 24 hours

The Antelope Valley Transit Authority’s (AVTA) new electric BYD bus is performing better than advertised! AVTA and BYD operators put the electric bus to the test this weekend during a 24-hour marathon ride that looped from Rosamond to Palmdale a total of 18 times.

The BYD bus managed to travel an astounding 746 miles (1,193 kms) over the 24-hour period, operating in three shifts. Each shift logged between 240 and 256 miles before recharging the battery. “This is tremendous news and it proves the BYD electric bus can be a transit work horse like its diesel counterpart,” stated Board Chair Norm Hickling. “We are looking forward to putting our electric buses into service on local transit routes to further evaluate their true performance under all weather and road conditions.”

This weekend’s 24-hour marathon began on Saturday at 1:04 in the afternoon starting from the BYD factory in Lancaster. AVTA’s electric bus was loaded with 5,250 lbs. of sand bags to simulate the weight of 35 passengers. The bus traveled a total of 240 miles before its first battery charge, which is nearly 100 miles more than BYD advertises and 30 miles more than is needed to service an average transit route in the Antelope Valley. The air conditioning system ran during most of the test except during the early morning hours when it was cold outside.

This is the second test for AVTA’s electric bus. Its first unofficial test was July 29 when it traveled to Los Angeles to pick up the consul general of the Chinese Consulate who was scheduled to tour the BYD manufacturing facility in Lancaster. AVTA offered to pick up the Chinese delegation using its new BYD bus in order to test the zero emission vehicle’s performance on the 14 freeway. After circulating downtown, the electric bus easily climbed the 14 Freeway grade which has an elevation change of nearly 4,000 feet. The 92-mile trip ended in Lancaster, CA with 64% of the bus’ battery life still remaining.

“We are ecstatic to see our electric bus performing so well. Our 12-month demonstration project is now off the ground and we could not be more pleased at the early results,” stated Executive Director Julie Austin. “We are also hopeful our plans to install wireless charging stations at AVTA’s two main transfer centers will extend the battery life of our electric buses even more than BYD technology can guarantee.”

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Volvo to Develop Electric Roads for Dynamic Wireless EV Charging

The Volvo Group is now taking the next step in the development of sustainable transport solutions. In collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration, the Volvo Group will study the potential for building electric roads, where city buses can be charged from electricity in the road at the same time as the bus is in operation. The benefit is quieter and more climate-smart public transport. A 300- to 500-meter electric road may be built for test operations in central Gothenburg during 2015.

“Vehicles capable of being charged directly from the road during operation could become the next pioneering step in the development towards reduced environmental impact, and this is fully in line with our vision of becoming the world leader in sustainable transport solutions. Close cooperation between society and industry is needed for such a development to be possible and we look forward to investigating the possibilities together with the City of Gothenburg,” says Niklas Gustavsson, Executive Vice President, Corporate Sustainability & Public Affairs of the Volvo Group.

With the use of an electric road, vehicle batteries would continuously be charged wirelessly during operation by transferring energy from the electricity grid to a vehicle, instead of charging the bus while it is standing still at charging stations. The technology being studied is called inductive charging, whereby the energy is transferred wirelessly to the underside of the vehicle by equipment built into the road.

The Volvo Group will develop a detailed proposal within the framework of innovation procurement from the Swedish Transport Administration. The proposal entails building a road section equipped with wireless charge technology and developing vehicles that will automatically charge their batteries when passing such a road section. The road will be built along a suitable bus line in central Gothenburg and be tested for public transport. Experiences from such a test track will provide valuable knowledge for future political and industrial decisions for establishing electric roads.

For several years, the Volvo Group has been offering hybrid buses with a traditional diesel engine that is supplemented by an electrical engine to reduce CO2 emissions. Three Volvo plug-in-hybrid buses are already in operation in Gothenburg (project Hyper Bus*), which charge their batteries at the end stations of line 60. The next stage of development is for these types of buses to be able to charge their batteries while in operation, thus increasing the distance the buses can run on pure electricity. And this is exactly what will be studied now. In 2015, a new bus line, ElectriCity, will become operational between Chalmers and Lindholmen in Gothenburg. This line will also provide additional knowledge of charging technology and electric power for heavy vehicles.

“We are working on both a broad and a deep basis to develop the technology of tomorrow. Electric roads are another important part of the puzzle in our aim of achieving transport solutions that will minimize the impact on the environment,” says Niklas Gustavsson.

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UK motorway to charge electric cars on the move

The Highways Agency intends to equip an English motorway to test wireless charging of moving electric cars.

The Highways Agency (HA) has yet to give details of the trial site or dates. But it has issued criteria for system adoption, including a lifecycle comparable to that of asphalt (typically around 16 years), cost-effective maintenance, resistance to vibration and weather, and efficient charge collection at high speeds.

Static inductive charging experience to date in the UK involves test cars parking at existing plug-in stations in London and an electric bus service launched in January 2014 in Milton Keynes, where vehicles top up their overnight charge during drivers’ rest breaks. Managing this five-year demonstration is the eFleet Integrated Service joint venture between Mitsui Europe and consulting engineers Arup.

Arup helped create a wireless power transfer system branded HALO in Auckland, New Zealand in 2010. US wireless technology developer Qualcomm, which bought HALO in 2011, is running the London static car trial and planning a dynamic test track in Auckland.

For operational experience, the HA can look to Asia, where the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is running two online electric vehicle (OLEV) buses on a 12km continuous charging route in the city of Gumi. It claims 85 per cent maximum efficiency in power transfer.

The HA will also be monitoring the semi-dynamic charging trial highlighted by Transport Scotland chief executive David Middleton at a Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation conference in March 2014. A halfway house between static and dynamic technologies, it will enable a hybrid bus to pick up charge from a series of modules installed under the road surface at strategic points along the route so it can run for long periods in fully electric mode.

A Transport Scotland spokesman explains that the approach “is likely to cause less disruption than, for example, installing dynamic charging along the length of a road”.

A similar technique is being used in Braunschweig, Germany, where a bus fitted with Bombardier Primove fast-charge technology went into passenger service on 27 March.

Source: E & T

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BYD ebus achieves 325km on one single charge in Denmark

What could be a distance record unmatched by any pure electric bus has been recorded with minimum fanfare by a BYD ebus on trial with Copenhagen Denmark bus operator City-Trafik.

The 12 metre BYD ebus completed its normal service on Route 12 a week ago, a total distance of 110km (or 68.4 miles) carrying an average of 40 passengers. Then the bus set off along the Ballerup highway – a standard motorway – and further covered a distance of 215km (or 133.6 miles) ending the day with 8% of battery charge remaining, clocking up a total of 325km (202 miles) on a single charge.

This result exceeds the previous best performance of a BYD ebus during the company's Europe-wide trial programmes. Last year an ebus achieved 310 km using only 69% of total charge between the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krackow.

A second trial of an ebus in Copenhagen with the city's other operator Arriva produced a no less impressive result. The bus completed an arduous full day of city operation – 150km (or 93 miles) from 06:00 to 16:50, operating fully loaded and with the electric heating system in constant use. The bus was then taken on a 90km (or 56 miles) motorway run and again ended up with a 8% charge remaining, covering a total distance of 240 km (149miles) on a single charge.

The two ebuses have been in service in Copenhagen since the beginning of January, in the hands of Movia's two service providers City-Trafik and Arriva. The bus, specially equipped to handle the rigors of the Scandinavian winter, has performed well. Operating costs have been low – electricity in Denmark costs 2DKK (€0.27) per kWh at normal prices. This compares with diesel at 9.79DKK (€1.3) per litre.

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City of Dalian Places Order for 1,200 BYD Electric Buses

1200 zero-emission, electric buses made by BYD Company Ltd will soon hit the streets of China’s “Bright Northern Pearl”, Dalian.

Dalian’s municipal government has signed a cooperative agreement with global electric vehicle and battery leader, BYD. The agreement stipulates the purchase of 600 BYD electric buses in 2014 and another 600 in 2015, totaling 1200 units.

BYD took the opportunity at the signing event to announce the opening of a new electric bus manufacturing facility in the Dalian Huayuankou Economic Zone to service the growing needs of northern China. The agreement also mentions a conversion initiative of more than 50% of new purchased taxis in Dalian to new energy vehicles in support of the “new energy vehicles promotion and local environment improvement” initiative.

At the event with Liaoning Province Governor Zhenggao Chen, BYD Founder and CEO Chuanfu Wang introduced company milestones, R&D capabilities and products including the electric bus and fully electric e6 SUV being used worldwide in fleet applications. He also took the chance to talk about BYD’s latest consumer offering – the break-through, plug-in-hybrid, Qin.

Chairman Wang highlighted operational statistics of the BYD electric fleets now totaling over 175 million Km traveled (~111 million miles in revenue service) and operating in many cities including recent projects in London, England and New York City. A key message from the BYD Chairman was that this technology is not just environmentally friendly, but very efficient and profitable for the operators as witnessed in the Shenzhen fleets.

Zhenggao Chen, Governor of Liaoning province, expressed his view that BYD is a pioneer in the aspect of new energy vehicles, and is confident BYD will seize the opportunity to develop and keep mastering the core technologies for new energy vehicles to keep winning the war combating poor air quality.

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BYD’s ebus with 250 km range begins trials in Warsaw

An all-electric BYD ebus is now carrying passengers in the Polish Capital. MZA Warsaw, the municipal transport company, is testing the environmentally friendly bus from the Chinese auto giant BYD...

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