Wireless Opportunity Charging
What do Torino, London, Utrecht, Milton Keynes and Madrid have in common? They are the first cities that have adopted our wireless charging systems in their countries. Each of them has not just tested our system but right away replaced one or more existing Diesel bus routes with a fleet of fully-electric buses.
Wireless inductive charging best provides its benefits when applied as en-route charging system. Charging opportunities installed at one or both ends of a route top-up the batteries for typically 5 to 10 minutes while the bus is waiting at the terminus before a new trip/round-trip starts. Obviously, wireless inductive charging can also be used as an overnight charging system in the depot. Especially for inner-city depots with significant space restrictions, a system that if required can almost completely be built below ground solves problems.
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The challenge
In order to operate all day at any weather conditions the required battery capacity of fully electric buses is significant. The batteries are the most expensive part of an electric bus. Using a significant part of their capacity every day puts significant stress on the batteries and leads to a reduced lifetime of the battery.
The solutions
Wireless opportunity charging helped to significantly reduce the battery capacity required. Instead of driving around tons of batteries, the buses focus on transporting people.
Examples
Fully-electric 10m buses in Turin since 2004
Hybrid double deck buses in London since 2015
Fully electric 12m buses in Madrid since 2017
Our installed base of IPT® Charge in Europe
