Skip to main content

Supercapacitors boost electric bus charging

Israeli defence company Elbit Systems, which will exhibit at the forthcoming Fuel choices Summit in Tel Aviv, is developing an electric bus charging system that would allow vehicles to boost their batteries at terminal stations. There, the buses would connect to supercapacitors that charge the buses quickly so that they can operate for precisely calculated distances, according to the Jerusalem Post. Elbit’s supercapacitors aim to power buses for one full route, allowing them to recharge in the span of le
November 27, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Israeli defence company Elbit Systems, which will exhibit at the forthcoming Fuel choices Summit in Tel Aviv, is developing an electric bus charging system that would allow vehicles to boost their batteries at terminal stations. There, the buses would connect to supercapacitors that charge the buses quickly so that they can operate for precisely calculated distances, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Elbit’s supercapacitors aim to power buses for one full route, allowing them to recharge in the span of less than a minute at the vehicle’s terminal stop. As passengers descend from and board the bus, the vehicle will quickly become fully charged for another route.

Each charging station would be able to handle about 60 buses per hour and during normal business hours the charging stations could be powered by green electricity sources like solar energy, Elbit said. For lines routes longer than 10 kilometres, it will be possible to install charging stations at additional pickup stations.

Related Content

  • Debating contactless toll charging by smartphone
    April 25, 2012
    Developments in the mass transit sector could provide indicators of potential for greater use of mobile consumer electronic devices for charging and tolling, according to Consult Hyperion’s Mike Burden. However, opinion among toll system suppliers is divided. Jason Barnes reports The combination of mass-market devices and their protocols, typified by smartphones featuring near field communication (NFC), points to some exciting cross-fertilisation possibilities in the charging and tolling sector, says Consul
  • Queensland to build electric super highway
    July 28, 2017
    Eighteen electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations are to be installed in Queensland, Australia, to encourage the uptake of EVs in the state. The 2,000km Queensland Electric Super Highway will, once operational in the next six months, make it possible to drive an electric vehicle from the from the Gold Coast to Cairns. The stations, which recharge a vehicle in 30 minutes, will offer free power for the initial phase of the project to encourage as many people as possible to use them, according to environme
  • Rapid growth of bus rapid transit schemes on US Pacific coast
    January 27, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals
  • Singapore aims to set MaaS benchmark
    September 26, 2019
    Delegates at this year’s ITS World Congress in Singapore will be able to experience Mobility as a Service for themselves in the form of MobilityX’s Zipster app