Transport for London (TfL) has announced a scheme to trial wireless charging technology on four specially designed range extended electric buses.
Inductive charging technology will be tested on four London range extended electric-diesel buses, operating on route 69 between Canning Town and Walthamstow bus stations. The buses will be specifically designed to charge wirelessly when stationary at bus stands, with corresponding technology, each end of it’s journey.
Although the buses do have an in-built diesel engine in case it’s batteries are depleted, TfL hope that majority of the time the bus will be powered by it’s electric motor only.
Using electric-mode only obviously has huge emission benefits and ultimately, will help the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in his efforts to crack down of air pollution and CO2 emissions.
The trials, part funded as part of a wider European program called Zero Emissions Urban Bus System (ZeEUS), are designed to certify whether wireless technology can stand up to rigorous use in an intense urban environment. They will provide crucial indications to whether inductive charging is ready to rolled out on a mass scale or if the technology must be modified before doing so.
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.”
The introduction of this technology will complement the existing trial of six pure electric single deck buses (see image below), which represent the first step of the Mayor’s plan for all single deck buses in central London to be zero emission at tailpipe, as part of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, from 2020. A further two pure electric buses are expected to enter service later this year.
Transport for London
