Skip to main content

RFID eliminates overhead wiring for trams

A new RFID system developed by UK company Harting allows electric trams or buses to operate without overhead electric wiring in areas where it would be unacceptably obtrusive, such as historic town centres, or where it might cause interference to sensitive equipment.
May 11, 2015 Read time: 1 min

A new RFID system developed by UK company 8098 Harting allows electric trams or buses to operate without overhead electric wiring in areas where it would be unacceptably obtrusive, such as historic town centres, or where it might cause interference to sensitive equipment.

The use of RFID enables a vehicle to detect the location of a charging station in advance or to determine which operating mode it is permitted to drive in. Harting Ha-VIS RFID systems permit approach detection to a charging station with positioning accuracy of better than 50cm. In addition, the RFID transponder contains information on the authorised operating mode. The RFID transponder may be mounted on a platform, on the track or at a stop, even within concrete to protect from vandalism.

Related Content

  • Indra to implement smart technology for Ecuador tram system
    December 10, 2015
    Indra is to provide the engineering, supply and implementation of tram priority and signage systems, along with access control and ticketing for the new tram system in Cuenca, the third-largest city in Ecuador. The system is currently under construction and is expected to begin operating in June 2016. It will be used by around 120,000 passengers a day, or 39 million a year. The aim is to incorporate the transport mode into the Integrated Mobility System, reduce the current levels of traffic and green
  • RAC survey shows big safety gains with average speed enforcement
    January 11, 2017
    Cheaper and easier communications are providing authorities with new options for influencing driver behaviour. Colin Sowman reports. It’s official; Average speed cameras (ASCs) cut the number of fatal or serious injury crashes by more than a third.
  • Authorities switch on to all electric buses as costs tumble
    January 9, 2018
    Alan Dron looks at changes in bus propulsion as cities look to improve air quality and seek to reduce maintenance costs. Despite the ending of various incentives to adopt alternative fuels, the introduction of electric buses by US transit authorities is picking up speed as performance improves, costs drop and air quality considerations become increasingly significant. More US bus manufacturers are introducing zero-emission models and some recent contracts will see many more passengers getting their first
  • New approach to data handling aids development of smarter cities
    January 14, 2013
    David Crawford has been to the Irish capital to see a potent memorandum of understanding at work. An imaginative collaboration between the world’s largest IT company and one of Europe’s smaller capital cities is demonstrating a new approach to data handling that could have far reaching implications for urban public transport worldwide. A close working relationship between IBM and Dublin City Council (DCC) dates from 2010.