electric/hybrid

ABB and King Long to Develop E-bus with World’s Fastest Flash-Charger

The e-bus will feature ABB’s TOSA flash-charging system that tops up the battery in just seconds while passengers get on and off the bus.

"This avoids the need to take the vehicle out of service for recharging every few hours or having a replacement bus ready, thus minimizing the size of the fleet," according to ABB.

The partners are building a pilot project in China. King Long will design and assemble the e-bus, while ABB will provide the TOSA flash-charging solution consisting of a wayside feeding station, an energy transfer system and an onboard battery charger.

The fast-charging solution requires no costly overhead lines. It enables public transportation companies to deploy emission-free, noiseless e-buses in a cost-effective and environment-friendly manner.

“Taking less than a second for the overhead arm to connect and for battery charging to begin, ABB’s TOSA brings speed and flexibility to battery charging, making it the ideal solution for high-capacity, high-frequency routes,” says Niklas Persson, Managing Director of ABB Power Grids’ Grid Integration business line.

In Geneva, Switzerland, ABB’s TOSA is already an established e-bus technology. It has operated for more than 500,000 kilometers, transported millions of passengers and saved more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The system is also scheduled to start operating on 20 e-buses in Nantes, France, this month.