Electric buses - Zero Emission

[ozbob]

Motor Authority --> Geneva's 'flash charge' electric buses recharge in 15 seconds

Long charging times can be a drag for electric vehicles, whether they're private passenger cars or city buses. The Swiss city of Geneva wants to put more electric buses into service, and to do that it recently contracted with local firm ABB to set up a "flash-charging" network that can charge those buses in a hurry.

Each of the 13 flash-charging stations will be capable of charging a bus in just 15 seconds, according to ABB. The stations won't necessarily provide a full charge, just enough to get a bus to its next stop. Buses will get a 600-kilowatt burst of electricity while they pick up passengers, as the stations will be located at bus stops. That's about five times what a Tesla Supercharger station can put out.

The buses will be used on a route that connects Geneva's airport with a new suburb called Praille-Acacias-Vernet, which will include about 11,000 housing units and offices for 11,000 workers. The line is expected to serve more than 10,000 passengers per day. Buses will run every 10 minutes and get a longer, 5.0-minute flash charge at the end of the line ...

[ozbob]

The Oregonian --> TriMet gets grant to buy its first all-electric buses

TriMet will add four all-electric buses to its fleet in 2018, its first long-term experimentation with the technology, paid for with a federal grant.

The transit agency said it would deploy the buses on routes suited to their charging needs. The trial will help the agency determine if buying more all-electric buses would be feasible.

The $3.4 million Federal Transit Administration grant covers not only the cost of the 40-foot New Flyer XE40 Xcelsior buses, but also charging infrastructure at depots and at stopovers along the route.

The new buses will replace four 1998 model-year diesel buses, which together burn through 35,000 gallons of fuel a year. The agency said the swap will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 350 metric tons.

TriMet in 2014 tried out an all-electric bus in a two-week test, but the test was interrupted when the bus stopped taking a charge.

It has permanently added eight hybrid-electric buses to its fleet, which use a diesel engine to power an electric motor. The newest of the hybrid buses can run for short distances in all-electric mode, and the diesel engine can also shut off at bus stops.

The remainder of its fleet, which numbers more than 650 buses, run on biodiesel fuel. The agency plans to buy 50 new diesel buses this fiscal year and 101 over the next two.

[ozbob]

Brisbane with its busways and bus egocentricity should be at the forefront of electric bus deployment ..

Oh, that's right, we are Queenslanders!   

[Arnz]

Be a good idea to trial them. Say 4 Articulated ones on the Gold Coast have them in Service by April 2017 a year before the Games. 2 on the 700 route and one on the 745 and other on the 777. All door boarding for the 700 and 777. More ticketing options inside the Gold Coast terminals with 2 Full service vending machines. "Its going to be 2018 not 1977!"

They are going being trialled, but on the Sunshine Coast (Noosa), jointly funded by Noosa Shire Council with an ETA of early 2017. 

http://mysunshinecoast.com.au/news/news-display/noosa-to-lead-electric-vehicle-charge,44598

[verbatim9]

Be a good idea to trial them. Say 4 Articulated ones on the Gold Coast have them in Service by April 2017 a year before the Games. 2 on the 700 route and one on the 745 and other on the 777. All door boarding for the 700 and 777. More ticketing options inside the Gold Coast terminals with 2 Full service vending machines. "Its going to be 2018 not 1977!"

They are going being trialled, but on the Sunshine Coast (Noosa), jointly funded by Noosa Shire Council with an ETA of early 2017. 

http://mysunshinecoast.com.au/news/news-display/noosa-to-lead-electric-vehicle-charge,44598

Was aware of this pseudo trial. Its not like the latest tech or includes mass transit via Articulated busses.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

24th July 2016

Hey Brisbane you heard of electric buses?

Greetings,



Brisbane is a very much a ' bus city '.  It is therefore surprising that Brisbane is not at the forefront of electric bus deployment. The rest of the world has taken great strides with electric-buses, Brisbane remains the transport backwater as it is becoming known nationally and globally for.

On the 28th October 2011, the Brisbanetimes reported ' Electric buses bound for Brisbane streets ' [ http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/electric-buses-bound-for-brisbane-streets-20111028-1mo4p.html ]

It was reported that " .. Brisbane is set to have its first fully electric bus, which can be fully charged in 10 minutes, within two years ... "

After 4 and half years no sign of any electric bus initiative for Brisbane.

Brisbane is ideally placed for running articulated electric buses.  These could ply the busways and key high frequency bus routes providing a true trunk service allowing more buses to be deployed into the suburbs to act as local feeders and coverage routes where they are desperately needed. Electric buses - rapid charging and hybrid, reduce tail pipe emissions significantly. Idling engines can be turned off at bus terminuses thereby reducing local pollution, a particular problem at West End for example.

Do we really need to duplicate our existing busways with a reduced capacity ' metro ' or do we capitalise on our existing transport assets and join the rest of the bus world?

We have an informative discussion thread on our RAIL Back On Track forum on electric buses [ http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6945.0 ].  It has numerous examples of how global bus rapid transit is moving forward with electric buses.

Don't you think it is time we joined the electric-bus revolution?

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[verbatim9]

Sent to all outlets:

24th July 2016

Hey Brisbane you heard of electric buses?

Greetings,



Brisbane is a very much a ' bus city '.  It is therefore surprising that Brisbane is not at the forefront of electric bus deployment. The rest of the world has taken great strides with electric-buses, Brisbane remains the transport backwater as it is becoming known nationally and globally for.

On the 28th October 2011, the Brisbanetimes reported ' Electric buses bound for Brisbane streets ' [ http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/electric-buses-bound-for-brisbane-streets-20111028-1mo4p.html ]

It was reported that " .. Brisbane is set to have its first fully electric bus, which can be fully charged in 10 minutes, within two years ... "

After 4 and half years no sign of any electric bus initiative for Brisbane.

Brisbane is ideally placed for running articulated electric buses.  These could ply the busways and key high frequency bus routes providing a true trunk service allowing more buses to be deployed into the suburbs to act as local feeders and coverage routes where they are desperately needed. Electric buses - rapid charging and hybrid, reduce tail pipe emissions significantly. Idling engines can be turned off at bus terminuses thereby reducing local pollution, a particular problem at West End for example.

Do we really need to duplicate our existing busways with a reduced capacity ' metro ' or do we capitalise on our existing transport assets and join the rest of the bus world?

We have an informative discussion thread on our RAIL Back On Track forum on electric buses [ http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6945.0 ].  It has numerous examples of how global bus rapid transit is moving forward with electric buses.

Don't you think it is time we joined the electric-bus revolution?

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

Better to buy some of those to run along the busways in Brisbane to compliment Cross River Rail and a proper metro alignment in the future. "Imagine if we had those running before Comm games. We would be the envy of the world."

[ozbob]

First pure electric double deck buses on streets of London

[ozbob]

Hey Brisbane you heard of electric buses?https://t.co/vEcVylSspd#qldpol
Nope, we have a 'world class' network O_O pic.twitter.com/MAEGGcfXGj

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 24, 2016

[ozbob]

Van Hool --> Van Hool delivers first hybrid "tram-bus" to Malmö

• First Exqui.City design Malmö (total order: 15 units) shipped to Malmö (Sweden) via Zeebruges (Belgium).

• Exqui.Citiess now also sold in Martinique (France) and in Bergen (Norway).

Koningshooikt (Lier, Belgium) – Van Hool, independent manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles, has delivered a first Exqui.City to the city of Malmö (Sweden). In the coming weeks, 15 of these 24-metre hybrid (biogas-electric) tram-buses will be shipped to Malmö via the port of Zeebruges (Belgium). Recently, new orders were placed for Martinique (France – 14 units, 24 metres, diesel-electric hybrid) and Bergen (Norway – 2 units, 24 metres, biogas-electric hybrid).

In the autumn of 2012, Van Hool signed a contract with Nobina, the largest people carrier in Scandinavia, for the delivery of 15 hybrid Exqui. Cities, which will be deployed from June 2014 in Malmö and the Skane region in Sweden for public transport purposes. Van Hool was the first manufacturer to sign a contract in Scandinavia for this type of vehicle, which is sometimes referred to as a "tram-bus". The hybrid 'Exqui.City design Malmö' is a 24-metre double-articulated vehicle with an electric engine, whereby the electricity is generated by a power generator connected to a Euro6 biogas engine.

In addition, recently, orders were placed for Martinique (France) and Bergen (Norway). In the second half of 2015, 14 hybrid (diesel-electric) vehicles will be shipped to Martinique on the French Antilles. In this French overseas territory, the tram-buses will be deployed between Fort-de-France (the capital) and Le Lamentin, a 12.8-km route. Just like in Metz (France), where 27 Exqui.Cities are offering daily services since last October, the vehicle will cover the full route on its own dedicated track. In Bergen (Norway), they opted for two units of the Exqui.City – the 24-metre hybrid version with a biogas-electric engine – which will become operational in the second half of this year.

The Exqui.City combines the flexibility of a bus with the efficiency of a tram. The tram-buses have an outspoken futuristic design and offer a high level of comfort with airconditioning, low noise levels and soft lighting. Accessibility is optimal thanks to a low step and smooth access via the four double doors. This type of vehicle has been constructed with a multiple power platform. This platform makes the Exqui.City, both in the 18-metre and the 24-metre version, a basis for the use of various environmentally friendly power systems, such as trolley buses, hybrid systems, fuel cells or batteries.

With the Exqui.City, available in a 18-metre and a 24-metre version, Van Hool offers a realistic response to the demand for safe, environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective urban public transport. For these reasons, cities like Metz, Barcelona, Parma, Genève, Luxemburg, Malmö, Martinique and Bergen have opted for the Exqui.City.

Van Hool is a Belgian independent manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles. The company was established in 1947 and is based in Koningshooikt (Belgium). The vast majority of the vehicles produced are destined for Europe and America. Van Hool employs over 4,000 people worldwide, most of whom work at the manufacturing plants in Koningshooikt and Bree (Belgium) and in Skopje (Macedonia).

END

[#Metro]

^^ I think these ones are superbuses also, with very high capacity (150 pax IIRC).

It is basically light rail without the track or price tag.

[SurfRail]

Any articulated bus should be perfectly capable of carrying 150, and any rigid bus 80-90.  The issue is we specify our vehicles so inefficiently:

- Not enough doors
- Doors not wide enough or only single-leaf
- Doors with steps in them (all Bustech models except their double-deckers)
- Underfloor engines leading to steps in the bus and a "cave" at the back, which also precludes a third door
- Too much of a focus on seating passengers and not enough on making it more comfortable to stand and circulate inside the bus
- Needing to negotiate steps to access seats other than those on wheel wells
- Seats in the raised section of the bus located behind wheel wells and therefore having zero foot room
- Low ceilings in the rear of the bus
- Isolation of our domestic industry from foreign trends because of protectionist measures like specifying maximum widths which prevent fully built up products from elsewhere which do not have any of the above issues
- All of the above making it challenging to move to all-door boarding (especially the narrow centre doors)

If done right we don't need bi-articulated buses - even standard rigid and articulated buses could be done better to the point where it would massively improve throughput.

Nobody in government or at any operator wants to do anything about this, and none of the local manufacturers could give a toss either.  The only exception (amazing, right?) is the Mercedes Citaro currently at Council.

[tazzer9]

A simple regular length articulated electric bus is  perfect for the main trunk busway only routes like the 29, 66,111,169.   Aside from the 29, they all have a decent layover time at both termini which is generally away from the platform.   The 66 going all electric could easily be done especially with collaboration with UQ (UQ would bathe in all the advertising and take credit for it all).   Long term they might be cheaper as they wouldn't need nearly as many ventilation fans going in all the bus tunnels.

[ozbob]

^ electric buses are cheaper to operate, maintain and service.  Also no tail pipe emissions.  Higher capital cost but quickly recovered.

^^ Brisbane really is a backwater hey what? 

[tazzer9]

The only problem with 100% electric buses is where the electricity is put into the bus, and there more limited range.  Lets face it, in brisbane, how many drivers would simply forget to plug it in to charge.   They need to be good enough so that if charging spots break or there is a area wide blackout for a decent period of time.  They can still run.   
Its also to with route availability.

[SurfRail]

By the time there is a wide-spread rollout I expect they will be able to get a range out of an electric bus not incomparable to what they can get out of a CNG bus.  Only needs to be capable of doing about 200-300km a shift to be useful, and long-haul electric vehicles are already doing much longer trips - it's the stop-start work which needs some focusing on.

[ozbob]

Supercapacitor buses ..

[cartoonbirdhaus]

Only needs to be capable of doing about 200-300km a shift to be useful

Not far off: Buses doing 170+ mi (270+ km) on one charge are being tested by US transit agencies:
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-electric-bus-20141227-story.html
http://provomayor.com/2015/04/08/worlds-largest-zero-emission-bus/

It's the stop-start work which needs some focusing on.

Signal priority and wider stop-spacing would obviously make electric buses more viable.

[#Metro]

A simple regular length articulated electric bus is  perfect for the main trunk busway only routes like the 29, 66,111,169.   Aside from the 29, they all have a decent layover time at both termini which is generally away from the platform.   The 66 going all electric could easily be done especially with collaboration with UQ (UQ would bathe in all the advertising and take credit for it all).   Long term they might be cheaper as they wouldn't need nearly as many ventilation fans going in all the bus tunnels.

It would be good as a starter, though works may be required at KGS for the door alignment. UQ Glider?

- Isolation of our domestic industry from foreign trends because of protectionist measures like specifying maximum widths which prevent fully built up products from elsewhere which do not have any of the above issues

Do you have a link to this? Would be good to point it out and get rid of it.

[SurfRail]

^ Not in a convenient form, but the local Australian Design Rules (ADRs) require a maximum width of 2.5m when most product overseas is built to a standard width of 2.55m and is therefore overwidth.  The reasoning behind it is specious at best and leads to our buses being both very expensive and also poorly designed due to the lack of competition.

The Citaro has an exemption.

[ozbob]

Riding Proterra Catalyst Battery Electric Bus Demo in Center City 7/28/16

SEPTA and Proterra were demoing the Catalyst BE40 battery electric bus that SEPTA has purchased and expects delivery of towards the end of 2017. Capable of being fully charged in less than 10 minutes and running up to ~40 miles on a single charge (when spec'd with fast charge batteries), 25 of these buses will be rolling around on routes 29 and 79 come 2018. Purchase of these buses was made possible by a Federal grant promoting energy sustainable technology procurements.

The bus was being displayed in front of SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market Street, and went out on a limited number of jaunts down Market to 5th Street before turning back and coming up Arch Street (terrible traffic), past the convention center and around City Hall to return to the original starting point. Enjoy the ride and the tour; along the way you'll hear interesting tid bits about the bus from the Proterra & SEPTA representatives, who were very friendly and informative to all who boarded.

The fun part of the ride starts around 10:30, as we pull away from SEPTA headquarters on Market St. and lasts until we make the turn onto and travel a bit down Arch St. @ 17:20. From then on, it's stop and go traffic thanks to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) until about City Hall, where there's a short stint where the operator almost floors it to get onto the loop (33:45). The bus runs very smoothly, and has a lot of take-off power, thanks to its 220 kW (295 hp) permanent magnet AC electric traction motor, whose whine is music to my ears lol. The only downside to running in Center City is that we never gain enough speed to get the transmission to shift from 1st to 2nd gear. Oh well. The regenerative braking is also VERY strong, and most of the time, the operator doesn't even have to tap the brake pedal; simply releasing the gas is enough to quickly bring the bus down to about 5 mph or so on regenerative brake alone.

[ozbob]

Even though Brisbane is a backwater, there is no need why we need to be caught up in the morass of backwardness and general incompetence that are the administrations in Brisbane and Queensland.

Keep monitoring the media, the literature and please post things of interest re electric buses.

[Stillwater]

Noosa electric bus trial latest: http://www.noosanews.com.au/news/a-bus-builder-which-has-turned-out-more-than-2200-/3024458/

[SurfRail]

^ I half wonder if the Bustech one is actually better value for money.  Their product does not rely on recharging stations - for the 627 and other local routes in Noosa, it should be able to do a full day's work on a single battery charge.  The other products come from much larger offshore manufacturers though.

[ozbob]

Courier Journal --> TARC adds new, bigger electric buses

The Transit Authority of River City is adding six all-electric buses to its fleet, giving it one of the largest fleets of electric coaches in the country, authority officials said Monday.

"We know passengers enjoy a quiet, clean ride and it doesn't get better than this," said TARC Executive Director J. Barry Barker. "We encourage everyone – visitors and residents alike – to take a ride on one of these zero-emissions, modern buses, and have fun visiting top city attractions."

The new buses have a rack for up to three bikes and will travel Route 4 between downtown and southwest Louisville and also run on a section of the route to Strawberry Lane on weekends.

The buses will stop at or near Museum Row downtown, the University of Louisville, the Speed Museum, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, as well as at sites in Old Louisville. The buses will also stop at restaurants and hotels.

The buses will promote cleaner air, conserve fuel and reduce maintenance costs, officials said. Most of the buses they are replacing are 16 years old and have traveled more than 600,000 miles.

The old buses emitted more than 30,000 pounds of pollutants each year into the air and consumed about 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year, TARC officials said, and also cost $4.65 million, with federal funding covering most of the cost.

With the six additions, TARC has 15 all-electric coaches. More than a year ago, TARC introduced nine all-electric green and blue ZeroBus vehicles, replacing the trolley-style buses on fare-free downtown circulatory routes.

The new buses rely on the same on-route charging technology as the ZeroBus vehicles, but there are differences. Regular fare ($1.75 one way for an adult) is required on the new electric buses. They are also are bigger than the ZeroBuses and feature TARC's updated silver, blue and red exterior design.

>>

[ozbob]

^

Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is the public transportation system serving Greater Louisville and Clark and Floyd counties in southern Indiana.



>> http://www.ridetarc.org/

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> We could be riding electric buses in one Coast town soon


A Higer electric bus at its recharging station. Contributed

ALL going to plan Noosa will be on new electric buses riding for free by Easter without the council looking like financial bunnies.

Noosa councillors in the latest proposed bus trial report have been told the ratepayers now stand to save $55,000 for its budgeted $508,000 six-month trial. The savings of the joint trial with TransLink for the coastal service with 50-50 shared costings will be delivered by running two electric buses instead of three.

"When we originally went out (to tender) the first the quote that we got back was that they would have to run three electric buses because of the range," council planning and infrastructure director Martin Drydale said. "We asked Sunbus, who are the (trial) operator, to tell us how much it would cost to run an extra bus and to get extra drivers up here. Their quote was for a figure of about $350,000 over the six months."

A review by TransLink came back with a minimum saving from operating two buses of $110,000, he said.

He hoped to have the trials underway by the end of February or early March.

[verbatim9]

Looks good

[verbatim9]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> We could be riding electric buses in one Coast town soon


A Higer electric bus at its recharging station. Contributed

ALL going to plan Noosa will be on new electric buses riding for free by Easter without the council looking like financial bunnies.

Noosa councillors in the latest proposed bus trial report have been told the ratepayers now stand to save $55,000 for its budgeted $508,000 six-month trial. The savings of the joint trial with TransLink for the coastal service with 50-50 shared costings will be delivered by running two electric buses instead of three.

"When we originally went out (to tender) the first the quote that we got back was that they would have to run three electric buses because of the range," council planning and infrastructure director Martin Drydale said. "We asked Sunbus, who are the (trial) operator, to tell us how much it would cost to run an extra bus and to get extra drivers up here. Their quote was for a figure of about $350,000 over the six months."

A review by TransLink came back with a minimum saving from operating two buses of $110,000, he said.

He hoped to have the trials underway by the end of February or early March.

Is that pic from Noosa, looks more like a pic from Germany or Eastern Europe?

[ozbob]

^ The pic was contributed so probably from overseas.

[ozbob]

ITS International --> Siemens launches interoperable electric bus charger

Siemens launches interoperable electric bus charger
First publishedon www.ITSInternational.com   
Siemens has launched an interoperable charging infrastructure for e-buses which capable of charging buses from different manufacturers.

German public transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn is to begin operation of three additional e-buses on its 'innovation line' 109. The battery-powered buses built by Polish company Solaris will be charged at the same Siemens charging stations that also power the plug-in hybrid buses from Volvo which have been serving Hamburg since the end of 2014.

The three buses from Solaris are equipped with a Siemens onboard charging system designed for the quick-charge stations. Having both the onboard equipment and charging infrastructure provided by one supplier not only ensures interoperability, but also harmonises the systems based on open international standards. By equipping the buses with Siemens charging equipment, vehicles of every type and from different manufacturers can easily be integrated into one system.

Each of the two charging terminals has a capacity of 300 kW and two charging stations. The stations can provide the buses with enough energy to enable them to operate a full day from terminal to terminal on line 109. The charging operation takes only around six minutes.

The charging process uses open international standards IEC 61851 and ISO 15118 that are the basis for e-bus charging systems. These enable vehicles from different manufacturers to use the same charging system. This solution allows operators to select their e-buses independently of the charging infrastructure and ensures their interoperability.

[tazzer9]

Is that pic from Noosa, looks more like a pic from Germany or Eastern Europe?

Well, considering its left hand drive and driving on the right hand side of the road, I highly doubt it's noosa.

[verbatim9]

Thought the infrastructure around the bus was too good to be true!

[cartoonbirdhaus]

Well, considering its left hand drive and driving on the right hand side of the road, I highly doubt it's noosa.

Triangular road sign, too—obviously a Vienna Convention warning sign.

[ozbob]

SunSentinel --> Broward testing electric buses; passengers ride free during trial run

Bus fares will be free for the next month —if you happen to catch one of two electric buses being tested by Broward County Transit.

The pair of zero-emission buses — which have wheelchair ramps, air conditioning and bicycle racks —will be randomly mixed in with other buses on nine routes during the month-long test period.

"Some [routes] have a lot more stops and a lot more people coming on and off," said Ana Bravo, with BCT. "So, we want to see if the batteries can handle running 160 miles in the heat."

The first 40-footer, which holds 41 passengers, began service on Route 34 along Sample Road between 5:30 and 10 a.m. on Monday.

It spent the afternoon in the transit garage in Pompano Beach getting recharged while the driver and mechanics could compare notes on performance.

The manufacturer says the vehicles, which are quieter than gas buses, can travel up to 160 miles on a single four-hour charge.

During this test run, riders will be surveyed for their impressions. As of 2 p.m. Monday, two riders had filled out online questionnaires giving the environmentally-friendly buses high marks on a scale of one to ten, Bravo said.

There was no immediate information on how many people rode the electric bus on its first run.

[ozbob]

ICYMI: Sydney Airport unveiled Australia's first electric airport bus.

Meet Electric Blu! https://t.co/f6fKcOH8Zo pic.twitter.com/gBI632cm8z

— Sydney Airport ✈️ (@SydneyAirport) August 31, 2016

[ozbob]

London SE1 --> Electric buses on routes 507 & 521 boast at-seat USB chargers


New electrical charging apparatus has been installed in Waterloo Garage

A new fleet of electric buses is being introduced on two busy commuter bus routes serving Waterloo Station.

Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced last year that routes 507 and 521 would be converted to all-electric operation.

This week the first of the new fleet of Chinese-built BYD buses was brought into service as the diesel fleet is phased out.

The 51 buses – built and maintained in a £19 million deal – form the single largest fleet of full size electric buses in Europe.

They will be operated by Go-Ahead London General on route 507 which links Waterloo Station with Victoria and route 521 which runs from Waterloo to London Bridge Station via Holborn.

New electric charging points have been installed at Waterloo Bus Garage on Cornwall Road.

As well as being notable for their electric power, the new buses are also the first on the TfL network to feature at-seat USB sockets for passengers to charge their mobile phones.

Electric buses were first trialed on the 507 and 521 in 2013.

The 507 and the 521 are the last remnants of the once extensive Red Arrow network of bus services introduced in 1965.

To mark the 50th anniversary, Go-Ahead recently painted one of its Mercedes Citaro buses in a commemorative livery.

12 of the seats on each vehicle are fitted with built-in USB charging sockets

[ozbob]

Inside EVs --> Swedish ElectriCity E-Bus Project Carried 1.2 Million Passengers In First Year

Volvo celebrated the first anniversary of the Gothenburg's electric bus service this Summer – ElectriCity, which was launched in June of 2015.

The three all-electric buses in service on route 55 between Chalmers and Lindholmen surpassed expectations of the provider, and apparently received mostly positive feedback.

In total, the buses carried about 1.2 million passengers over the term (or 100,000 per month).

According to Volvo, both passengers and drivers of the e-buses appreciated the latest form of public transit, mostly because of the quiet and smooth operation.

With another positive test logged, we expect continued EV bus orders in Sweden for Volvo.

[ozbob]

3 electric buses will join the ACTION fleet in Jan '17 supplied by Aus. based co. AVASS Bus Manuf. for a 12mth trial pic.twitter.com/3a3N8Qk6Rh

— Transport Canberra (@Transport_CBR) September 6, 2016

[ozbob]

Jerusalem Post --> Five electric buses to begin running in Tel Aviv 

Five new entirely electric buses are to take to the streets of Tel Aviv next week, operating on the Dan company's No. 4 route.

Running on new technology that involves supercapacitors rather than batteries, the new Chariot E-Bus vehicles have the ability to recharge rapidly between trips, saving a significant amount of time and improving quality for passengers, according to the Pan-Dan import company – a partnership between Dan and Pandom Ltd. of the Weiss Group. ...... The Chariot E-Bus has already been running successfully for two years in Sofia, Bulgaria, and also recently commenced operations in Serbia and Austria, according to Pan-Dan.

While only five buses will be operating in Tel Aviv next week, another 17 are expected to join the fleet by the end of the year, the company said.

While these vehicles employ much more advanced charging technologies, they are not the first electric buses to hit the city's streets. In August 2013, the Dan bus company introduced one electric bus, produced by the Chinese firm BYD and imported through Clal Motors, on the No. 5 line. This bus recharges at night in a Dan parking lot, requiring about four to five hours to achieve full capacity.

The Chariot E-Bus, on the other hand, can recharge quickly between journeys, in about three minutes, Pan- Dan said. In addition, due to its low weight, its electricity consumption is much less than that of other electric buses, the firm added.