Electric Buses

Buses are often the quiet workhorse of many PT systems running all sorts of routes from high capacity busway systems down to local services that connect suburbs to shops or train stations. Yet for many, buses have anything but a quiet image, add in emissions and they are often thought of as noisy and smelly beasts. Modern buses with have managed to address most of these issues – or at least significantly reduce them however the negative perception remains.

In Auckland around 77% of all PT trips are made by bus and in the city centre about 32% of all people arriving in the CBD in morning peak are riding on one (trains are about 8%, cars 46%). As Jarrett Walker says, buses are like pedestrian fountains throwing people out into the city. We’ve talked many times before how the new bus network is a giant leap in the right direction for many reasons, one of which is that it uses buses much more efficiently. Despite this there will still need to be a lot of services travelling through the CBD as shown in the image below.

The two concentrations of frequent east-west routes definitely look like they will need some bus serious priority to ensure they don’t all clog each other up, especially once less frequent and peak only services are added in. The image below is an example of what we need to avoid from Sydney. Future bus congestion is also a key reason why the CRL is so important as it allows more buses to act as feeders rather than having to trundle into town when that space could be better used for a bus from an area not served by the rain network.

Yet while it appears we are going to need some busways through the CBD, I’m also aware that the negative perceptions about buses mentioned above will continue to be raised. I’ve even heard it suggested by some that we ban buses from the inner core of the CBD with them only allowed around the edge i.e. Mayoral Dr. This would not only disadvantage bus passengers (probably putting many off) but would also likely disadvantage many retailers due to reduced pedestrian flows past their premises. These sorts of ideas aren’t just unique to the CBD though and seem to pop up from time to time in other places too.

I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the best solution is instead of pushing for buses to be removed from certain streets that those complaining instead push for the quality of buses to improve further benefiting everyone. What’s interesting is there appears to be quite a bit of innovation in buses going on at the moment, especially in electric buses that don’t substantial infrastructure like trolley wires. Below are three different trials in different cities of electric buses each using slightly different technology.

The first is from the UK where in the town of Milton Keynes where inductive charging is being used to keep the buses topped up during the day.

The fleet will run on the Number 7 route, which covers 25km (15 miles) between the Milton Keynes suburbs of Wolverton and Bletchley and carries an estimated 800,000 passengers a year.

After a night charging at the depot, the buses will receive booster charges throughout the day at the start and end of the route.

There, the bus parks over plates buried in the road. The driver then lowers receiver plates on the bottom of the bus to within 4cm of the road surface and the bus is charged for around 10 minutes before resuming service.

The system uses a process called inductive charging. Electricity passes through wire coils in the road plates, generating a magnetic field. This field induces a voltage across coils in the bus plates and the vehicle’s batteries are charged.

From memory this technology was first developed at Auckland Uni. Doing a 25km route all day also seems pretty impressive and assuming the bus is on time then a 10 minute charge at each end would simply be taking place while the bus was between runs so there is likely to be no passenger impact.

The second example comes from Zurich where a trial is under way using buses with batteries that can be topped up with flash charging in 15 seconds.

The system is designed to allow for quickly “topping off” batteries at bus stops, with a longer charge of just three to four minutes between bus runs. Buses are equipped with a laser controlled arm that sits atop the bus and automatically guides the contact mechanism to its mate in an overhanging charging station. Passengers get on and off the bus just as they would any other bus.

The system was designed by Zurich based electronics giant ABB with assistance from Geneva Public Transport and other city agencies. The TOSA system flash charges at a rate of 400 kW, allowing batteries to be topped off in just 15 seconds every few stops. Officials describing the system call it a truly zero-carbon emission system because the electricity to recharge the buses is generated using hydroelectricity. They noted also that such a bus system would be a big improvement over conventional electric buses that get their power from overhead lines and also other battery run buses that must be taken out of service periodically for recharging. They claim also that despite such frequent recharging, the batteries in the buses are expected to last for at least a decade.

And here’s a promo video of it in action

And lastly from New York where a trial has just successfully completed on a battery powered bus from Chinese company BYD which is able to work all day on a single charge – although I guess it would greatly depend on how long the route was.

BYD and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) concluded a pilot test on a BYD 40-foot, zero-emissions, battery-electric bus.
The test period was from August 25 to October 25, totaling two months in service, with the final report data now summarized for distribution.

“The general purpose of the program was to evaluate how an electric bus could perform in New York City’s heavy traffic, whether the electric bus can meet the twin challenges of operating in the stop-and-go traffic of Manhattan while maintaining high levels of passenger comfort and operational performance,” said MTA’s spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

The bus tested at MTA was supplied by BYD Motors and offers a range of 140-155 miles average between charges. Charging is intended to only be completed at night during off peak hours to reduce unwanted demand on the grid, and takes only three to four hours to return to full capacity.

The testing was carried out on different routes throughout Manhattan, covering a total distance during the trial of 1,481 miles.

The BYD all-electric bus “performed excellent” covering more than 140 miles per full charge in heavy traffic, according to company officials.

There are probably other systems out there but that there does seem to be so many different options coming though does suggest trolley wire free electric buses are likely to play a big part in the future. We will probably have to wait to see which system ultimately ends up best but it’s definitely something we as a city should be thinking about.

So once again, perhaps instead of pushing for buses to be removed from certain areas due to noise and emissions that people should instead focus on how we can make them better. Over the medium term electric buses are likely to be much more successful in replacing the existing bus fleet than electric cars would be.

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