The first electric bus route in Sweden where charging takes place wirelessly at the bus stop is to be launched in the autumn in Södertälje. The project is a joint venture between amongst others Scania, which will supply the electric bus, and Vattenfall, which will be responsible for building, owning and operating the charging infrastructure.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Minister for International Development Isabella Lövin, who has recently been elected as spokesperson for the Green Party, visited the preview of the electric bus project at truck and bus manufacturer Scania in Södertälje.
"This unique electric bus project is an example of how Sweden can lead the way in the transition to sustainable transport and in the field of exports of products and solutions for sustainable transport," said Stefan Löfven.
Unique bus project
The electric bus project in Södertälje is a joint venture between, amongst others, Södertälje local authority, Scania, the Royal Institute of Technology KTH, the public transport operator for the Stockholm region SL and Vattenfall. The project is the first in Sweden involving wireless induction charging of an electric hybrid bus which will be used in the standard public transport network from autumn 2016.
"Vattenfall is actively working on fossil-free transport, and electricity will play a key role in enabling Sweden to achieve its objectives in this field. Vattenfall is a leading player in the development of smart, reliable charging services for businesses, local authorities and private individuals," says Susanna Hurtig, Head of e-mobility at Vattenfall Nordic.
Vattenfall's role in the pilot project involving the plug-in hybrid bus in Södertälje is to build the charging station which will enable the bus to be powered by electricity.
"Vattenfall also owns the charging infrastructure and will connect it to our IT platform for charging services, which will enable active monitoring and remote control. Operational reliability will be crucial if there is to be a large-scale transition to electric transport," says Susanna Hurtig.
Currently, the electric hybrid bus is being tested and the wireless charging station is being installed in Södertälje. A charging segment will be installed at street level at the terminus and the electricity will be transferred wirelessly via a receiver under the floor of the bus.
Rapid charging of the battery will take place wirelessly using so-called inductive charging. The battery is located on the roof of the bus and can be fully charged in 6 to 7 minutes. The electric hybrid bus can cover most of the route (some 10 km there and back) on electricity only. The bus also has a diesel engine which runs on biodiesel, which means that the bus can also cover long stretches without charging.
The electric hybrid route, route 755, and the wireless charging station are due to be commissioned in November 2016.
A number of charging solutions
"Vattenfall is involved in a number of development and demonstration projects around the electrification of buses, trucks and electric cars," says Johan Tollin, who is responsible for research and development of e-mobility solutions within Vattenfall.
"For example, Vattenfall has commissioned two charging stations for eight electric hybrid buses used in the standard public transport network in Stockholm (route 73) where fast charging takes place through a pantograph on the roof of the bus. We are also involved in projects around wireless charging of private cars and trucks in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Uppsala and at Arlanda Airport."
