SWEDEN The Nordic region’s first bus service featuring wireless (inductive) bus stop charging is now starting. A newly developed electric hybrid bus from Scania will be operated in regular urban traffic in Södertälje, Sweden as part of efforts to identify new more sustainable solutions for public transport in urban environments.
It’s the first time the technology is being tested in the Nordic region and both the bus and bus stop solution are part of a research project where Scania, the public transport operator for the Stockholm region, SL (Vattenfall, Södertälje Municipality) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) are cooperating to develop a silent and sustainable public transport system. The project is partly financed by the Swedish Energy Agency.
For the first time this type of technology is also being tested for a more extreme climate, which this type of infrastructure must also cope with to be relevant in more northerly parts of the world.
Wireless bus stop charging means that the bus parks over a charging ‘segment’ located under the road surface at the charging station where charging occurs automatically.
The design of the inductive technology has been adapted so as not to disturb existing urban environments. Seven minutes of wireless charging is enough to cover the entire 10km route in Södertälje.
“The electric hybrid bus in this project demonstrates a technology track for a more sustainable transport solution. The inductive charging technology is both silent and invisible,” said Hedvig Paradis, Project Manager at Scania. “The field test in Södertälje is important ahead of the choices facing both society and the automotive industry with regard to eliminating emissions and reducing noise from traffic in sensitive environments.
“The cost of the wireless bus stop charging project amounts to just over SEK38m of which Scania is investing SEK22m.
“The Swedish Energy Agency has granted almost SEK10m in research funding, which will be divided among the Royal Institute of Technology, Scania and SL.
“This is one of several projects Scania is conducting in order to find solutions for future sustainable transport.”
