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ATC Solar Curve – A Wireless Solar Charger for Electric Buses

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Just as EVs have charging stations of their own, it’s only natural that buses should have that, too. The only thing is that keeping a tight schedule for electric public transportation may prove a bit of a challenge.

Still, it can be done and the Dutch city of Noord-Brabant is here to show us how. By using the technology provided by the ATC Solar Curve Bus Stop concept, buses recharge just by waiting for their passengers to climb up.

This is called inductive charging. Designed by Studio Mango, the roofs of such structures are smart in two ways: curved to protect the passengers from rain and snow, they also benefit from 15.5-meter solar panels to harvest the sunlight all day round. The roofs then reassign the energy wirelessly to the electrical device of the bus that draws up under it.

Of course, rain, snow and dirt have no way of affecting the electronic components because they are hidden, while every bus stop would have green LED lights to signal the charging level. It’s not yet very clear how much time it takes for electric buses to charge in stations, but we’re pretty sure it’s something that can be worked on as long as the structures prove viable.

Riding the bus has come a long way, hasn’t it?

[via Treehugger]

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1 COMMENT

  1. Instead of recharging batteries, induced electricity might power an electric motor connected to a hydraulic pump and recharge a hydraulic cylinder in a series hydraulic hybrid scheme. Hydraulics is better suited for the stop and go routine of urban busses because it can release and store power more efficiently and faster than batteries. At a lower cost.

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