Skip to main content

Open interface for electric bus charging

While the European public transport community is preparing for electric buses and standardisation activities have already begun, with European standards expected to come into place 2019, followed by international standards in 2020, many cities are already implementing electric bus systems. In order to meet their needs, European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and Volvo have agreed with charging system suppliers ABB, Heliox and Siemens to an open, transparent and voluntary approach. Common preferre
March 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
While the European public transport community is preparing for electric buses and standardisation activities have already begun, with European standards expected to come into place 2019, followed by international standards in 2020, many cities are already implementing electric bus systems.

In order to meet their needs, European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and 609 Volvo have agreed with charging system suppliers 4540 ABB, Heliox and 189 Siemens to an open, transparent and voluntary approach. Common preferred interfaces will be opened up for all market participants and will be used for electric buses with opportunity charging (fast charging at end stops) and for overnight charging.

The group is committed to contribute to European standardization activities and to share experiences with standardisation bodies CEN/CENELEC and ISO/IEC in order to establish a common European standard for electric bus systems. The objective is to facilitate the transfer to electric bus systems in cities to ensure reliability and compatibility across bus brands and charging systems.

For opportunity charging, the system includes automatic contacting by a pantograph, wireless communication, contacting plates and infrastructure equipment that automatically contact vehicles with a pantograph. For overnight charging, the fast charging standard for cars (CCS) will be used as a base for the plug and for the communication.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Plan to create UK’s biggest pay-as-you-go EV charging network
    June 22, 2012
    Elektromotive, a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charge points in Europe, is to create the UK’s largest pay-as-you-go, ‘open source’ network of public access charging stations for EVs, based upon the development of its proven pay-by-phone technology. The initiative comes as the result of a new joint venture with Charge your Car (North). The new company – Charge Your Car Limited – will expand the existing Charge your Car (North) network located predominantly across North east England, and incorpora
  • Trends in automotive technology
    March 14, 2012
    Continental has become a leading player in vehicle technology and telematics. The firm’s executive board chairman Elmar Degenhart describes to Jason Barnes Continental’s views on the ‘megatrends’ of the automotive industry Strategic moves to diversify Continental’s business from rubber-related products began in the late 1990s with the acquisition of ITT Teves and its brake business. This brought on board know-how relating to the then new electronic stability control (ESC) systems which today form an import
  • ITS solutions to keep truck traffic moving
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford reviews freight management initiatives. Managing truck traffic to minimise its environmental impacts, without adversely impacting on its critical economic role, continues to drive ITS-based solutions in both urban and interurban contexts.
  • Singapore plans changes to transit system
    June 13, 2018
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar