Toshiba to start field testing medium-sized EV bus with wireless recharging, SCiB Li-ion battery
31 May 2016
Toshiba Corporation has developed a fast, cable-free contactless charger for electric vehicles (EVs), and will field test it on a medium-sized EV bus designed to handle the power demands of regular high-speed journeys on expressways. Field tests will start from 1 June and continue until December.
The 45-seat bus is powered by a long-life, high-output 52.9 kWh SCiB (earlier post) pack, Toshiba’s advanced lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and will make regular trips between All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. facilities in Tonomachi, Kawasaki and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) journey will test the bus and its performance under various traffic conditions, and will allow Toshiba to verify the convenience and practicality of contactless charging, along with its contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
The contactless charger, designed in collaboration with Professor Yushi Kamiya of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, replaces conventional electromagnetic induction with a magnetic resonance system that is installed in the ground, under the bus. The system is easy to operate; charging starts once the driver pushes a button on the bus dashboard.
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| Charging pads. Click to enlarge. |
Distance between the transmitter and receiver is 10 cm, with an alignment tolerance of up to up 20 cm widthwise and up to 10 cm lengthwise. Charge time is approximately 15 minutes. Travel distance per charge is approximately 89km.
Tests have verified that the system’s radio emission level meets limit regulations and do not interfere with radio signals of nearby equipment.
The SCiB battery of the type installed in the test EV bus is rugged, reliable and has a long life, showing almost no fall-off in performance even after 15,000 quick charge and discharge cycles. It is highly suited for use on shuttle buses operating at locations such as tourist sites and airports, which must combine heavy use with frequent and fast charging. It takes only 15 minutes or so to charge SCiB to a level necessary for the EV bus to run one-way between the test sites.
The battery also delivers high output that, combined with improvement in performance of drive components allows the bus to achieve a top speed surpassing that required for safe operation on expressways.
Development of this system has been supported by the Ministry of the Environment under its Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program since 2014. A field test that deployed a small EV bus incorporating a similar charging technology started in February this year and will run until December.
Toshiba will continue research and development of contactless charging and other advanced technologies that contribute to reducing environmental loads, and work to improve the quality of urban transport by providing SCiB for various transportation systems.
Because this is not a hydrogen bus makes one think they are not all that hooked on FCVs. Perhaps there's hope for them yet. I suspect after the Government support (money) runs out.
Posted by: Lad | 31 May 2016 at 10:34 AM
@Lad:
Last I heard Toshiba and Toyota were too different companies.
Details like that don't seem to hinder your ability to analyse the potential of fuel cell technology though! :-0
Posted by: Davemart | 31 May 2016 at 11:10 AM
Lad would like to believe fuel cell EV technology is ideal even though it's not. Extended range hybrid tech can utilize cleanly combustible hydrogen at a lower pressure and more safely stored. PHEV technology is the more ideal match to rooftop photovoltaic solar arrays. Smaller PHEV battery packs consequently lead to smaller, less expensive rooftop solar arrays that complement regional utility grids yet can operate off the grid, especially important in emergency grid failure. All-battery BEVs like the Tesla store as much as 17x the amount of energy as that of PHEVs, thus require more power from regional utility grids, leading to the need for more power from polluting sources. Prove hydrogen fuel cell is ideal rather than just say it is, Lad.
Posted by: Sirkulat | 31 May 2016 at 11:41 AM
Sirkulat:
Actually Lad was seeking to argue the contrary.
By pure co-incidence many fuel cell knockers seem unable to comprehend two consecutive sentences.
Of course that in no way reflects on their knowing far more then the thousands of scientists and large numbers of companies seeing good potential in fuel cell technology.
Posted by: Davemart | 31 May 2016 at 12:32 PM
Awesome innovation and more responsible to the taxpayers too!
Posted by: TeslaRedux.co | 31 May 2016 at 03:07 PM
Et al:
My apologies for scanning instead of reading it. My attempted oblique point,not based on the article, is the even Toyota will build and support BEVs someday.
Posted by: Lad | 31 May 2016 at 03:44 PM
Despite my misinterpretation of Lad's comment, I tried to present important benefits PHEV tech offers which fuel cell and all-battery EVs do not. Automobile companies view hydrogen as a fuel they can control and consequently create a demand only they can fill.
The larger problem is that we drive too much, too far, for too many purposes. Fuel cell and all-battery EVs offer a driving range far enough to continue driving like lemmings as if there are no consequences nor more sensible economic structures based on driving less. Walking, bicycling and mass transit must serve more travel needs, but are instead hampered by hazardous traffic and development patterns based on long-distance driving, trucking, shipping and air travel and transport. If we must reduce energy consumption, we must rebuild communities to become more self-reliant, less dependent upon the dictates of faceless corporate entities.
Posted by: Sirkulat | 01 June 2016 at 10:10 AM