An eight-wheeled electric bus was test driven at the University of Tokyo this month, where it made two round trips between the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Station and the nearest railway station, which is located about two and half miles away.
The design is based on the Electric Lithium Ion Car first shown in 2004. The batteries and inverter have been built into the Isuzu-designed aluminum frame. Keio hasn’t said how long it takes to fully charge the Toshiba SCiB batteries, but the bus has an alleged range of about 75 miles.
The prototype, commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment, was inspected on March 17 and has been on university campus roads since April 20. The Kanagawa Bus Association and Bridgestone are also part of the project.
A similar test took place on August 27, although there is no set date on when the fully electric bus will go into public service.
