A Swedish company called Opbrid has come up with a hybrid bus model. Put into circulation in the city of Umea, the bus is more than anyone could dream of: it can take passengers through the city for 18 hours in a row without stopping or switching to diesel.
Even if it does stop for a “quick charge”, it really is quick, taking less than 5 minutes, which is more than any electric car can brag with!
How is this record time possible? Thanks to the batteries. This is a major area of improvement, since these batteries are able to receive and store vast amounts of energy for brief periods of time. As I was saying before, a 5-minute charge would be enough for a 15 or 20 kilometers distance. Not to mention that the bus can also be quietly charged at night.
The Opbrid bus charges differently than cars: due to the vehicle’s size, there are no appropriate charging stations. What they do is pull in at a charging facility. The bus has extensions folded on its roof, which go up to meet a special horizontal charging bar and thus the connection for the charging process is done. The charging technology is being provided by Epyon.
This hybrid version of a city bus is especially suited for the urban environment, because most European cities have small distances between stops, making it easy for the bus to rely on the electricity. Depending on the cities’ needs, the bus can use little or no fuel at all, saving a great deal on carbon emissions. It makes for a more pleasant bus experience for everybody on board!
[via Ecofriend]
