VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND LTD
Electric buses and
recharging systems
International Conference
Electric Mobility and Public Transport
Santiago de Chile, 10-11 May 2017
Mikko Pihlatie, Marko Paakkinen, Joel Anttila, VTT
210/05/2017 2
Outlook
The European context and activities on electric buses
The electric bus market
Charging system options and their market
Considerations for the system and infrastructure
Standardisation
10/05/2017 3
ZeEUS (Zero Emission Urban Bus System)
Pictures: http://zeeus.eu/
An EU/stakeholder funded EU project
EU: 13.5M €, Total: 22.5M €
Over 40 consortium participants
Coordinated by UITP
Aim: extend and evaluate fully electric
urban bus networks in Europe
Facilitates live tests across European cities
8 core demonstrations
45 observed demonstrations
410/05/2017 4
The European electric bus scene (ZeEUS / UITP)
”Bringing electrification to the heart
of the urban bus network”- More than 40 cities alreay on the move
FP7 ZeEUS & observatory- Core demonstrations
- Observed demonstrations
- User group
Paris: 20 fully electric buses
- Total fleet 4500 buses
- Major electrification by
2025
Amsterdam
- Major electrification by
2025
Oslo
- Fossil free 2020
Warsaw: 10 fully electric
buses strategy to form
HSL: emissions down by 90%
by 2025
10/05/2017 5
Electric buses (eBuses) in the
ZeEUS project
1) Different topologies
Plug-in hybrid buses (PHEV)
Full battery electric buses (BEV)
Battery trolleybuses
2) Different charging strategies
Overnight charging
Opportunity charging
3) ”High-capacity” buses that can
carry at least 55 passengers
4) In full revenue operation or
ready for exploitation by
December 2017
5) Site-specific evaluation of
results, global cross-evaluation
Different bus
topologies
Different charging strategies
All ready for exploitation until December 2017
Electric city buses in ZeEUS
Pictures: http://zeeus.eu/
10/05/2017 6
Electric bus market
The worldwide eBus fleet has reached 173 000 in 2015
Vast majority in China: 170 000 eBuses
1 300 eBuses in Europe
European eBus expected to grow
2 500 eBuses in 20201
6 100 eBuses in 20252
Series production of European eBuses should reach full maturity
in 2018 – 2020
European eBus market will be presented in 3 categories
Midibuses, standard buses and articulated buses
Trolleybuses are excluded
Pictures: http://zeeus.eu/
1 strategy of 19 European public transport operators and authorities
2 strategy of 13 European public transport operators and authorities
10/05/2017 7
Overview of the current electric bus market, 12 m
12 meter battery
electric buses
Bollore
Bluebus
12m
Bozankay
a Sileo
S12
BYD K9
BYD/ADL
Enviro200
EV
Ebusco
2.1 HV
Hybricon
HAW LE /
Ursus
Bus City
Smile
12M
Irizar i2eLinkker
12
Skoda
Perun
HE/HP
Solaris
Urbino 12
electric
VDL Citea
SLF-120
Electric
Volvo
7900
Electric
Length (m) 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
Own mass (kg) 12 890 12 850 13 300 12 115 12 300 13 525 14 800 9 50012 815 /
12 40013 790 12 715 12 155
Passenger
capacity28 + 69 41 + 38
31 + 37 /
27 + 5721 + 69 32 + 44 41 + 33 27 + 50 38 + 42 27 + 55 34 + 45 30 + 52 34 + 71
Battery capacity
(kWh)240 200 – 230 324 / 216 324 311 50 – 265 282 – 376 55
230 /
8075 – 240 60 – 240 76
Charge concept
Overnight
slow
charge
Overnight
slow
charge
Overnight
slow
charge
Overnight
slow
charge
Slow&Fast
charge
Slow /
Slow&Fast
charge
Overnight
slow
charge
Slow&Fast
charge
Slow /
Slow&Fast
charge
Slow&Fast
charge
Slow&Fast
charge
Slow&Fast
charge
Charger type Plug Plug Plug Plug
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Plug /
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Plug
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Plug /
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Plug &
Pantograp
h /
Induction
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Plug &
Pantograp
h
Max charging
power (kW)50 4 – 100 80 80
From 35
to 308
From 10
Up to 300
– 1 000
80 – 100Up to 300-
350
100 /
450 – 600
80 /
300-450 /
200
350 300
Availability on
the market
Since
2016
Since
2015
Since
2013
Since
2016
Since
2014Available
Since
2014Available
Since
2014
Since
2012
Since
20142017
10/05/2017 8
Overview of the current electric bus market, 18 m
18 meter
articulated battery
electric buses
Hybricon HAW 18 LE
/ Ursus Bus City
Smile 18M
Solaris Urbino 18
electric
VDL Citea SLF-
181 Electric
Length (m) 18 18 18.1
Own mass (kg) 20 801 18 800 19 075
Passenger capacity 54 + 56 53 + ? 48 + 110
Battery capacity (kWh) 40 – 120 75 – 240 60 – 180
Charge concept Slow&Fast charge Slow&Fast charge Slow&Fast charge
Charger type Plug & Pantograph
Plug &
Pantograph /
Induction
Plug &
Pantograph
Max charging power
(kW)
From 10 Up to 300 – 1
000
80 /
300-450 /
200
Up to 270
Availability on the
marketSince 2016 Since 2013 Since 2015
910.5.2017 9
Total battery energy consumption (lab) on
Braunschweig cycle with two loads
Very big differences in the energy efficiency between electric buses on the market
1010/05/2017 10
Charging system requirements
In Helsinki region, VTT is gathering charging system
requirements in collaboration with the HSL region stakeholders
for procurement of the next charger(s)
The future bus fleet will include buses and charging systems
from multiple manufacturers and operators
Vehicle sourcing by the PTO’s
Requires interoperability between vehicles and charging
infrastructure
Common features need to be decided early, like charging
connection
These requirements function also as the base for evaluating the
tenders for the chargers
1110/05/2017 11
General requirements for bus charging
infrastructure
Interoperability
Vehicles
Chargers
Between different PTO’s / PTA’s
Scalability
Bus fleet size (number of charging stations / points)
Charging station capacities (charging point capacity vehicles/h)
Integration into the city infrastructure
Appearance, civil engineering
System-level compatibility with the power grid
Sufficient power and energy available
Stability of the power grid is not to be sacrificed
1210/05/2017 12
Options for charging of electric buses
Manual charging interfaces (depot charging)
AC plugs and on-board chargers
Stationary fast chargers of 50 – 300 kW with standardised
interface (CCS)
Automatic charging interfaces (opportunity charging)
Pantograph
Mounted on the vehicle (rooftop pantograph)
Installed on the infrastructure side (inverted pantograph)
Connection from underneath the vehicle
Connection from the side of the vehicle
Inductive charging
Other concepts: trolleybuses, supercapacitor buses, hydrogen
buses, different types of hybrids
1310/05/2017 13
Market situation on charging equipment
manufacturers (automatic contacting)
Pantographs
Roof-mounted: Heliox (NL), Ekoenergetyka (PL), Schunk (DE)
Inverted: ABB (CH), Siemens (DE), Heliox (NL), Schunk (DE),
Stemmann Technik (DE)
Solutions both with the Volvo-led Oppcharge concept and outside it
Inductive charging: Bombardier (DE), Conductix-Wampfler (DE)
Sideways contact: Multi-Contact (FR)
Underneath the vehicle: Alstom (FR)
Other: Proterra (US)
14
Infrastructure
considerations
1510/05/2017 15
Bus terminals, depots and energy, risks
As the fleet increases, the terminal charging capacity becomes
more critical
Sets also requirements for the charging system reliability
Risks
Bus delays due to crowded chargers
Bus delays due to broken chargers or interface
Power grid stability
Can the power grid sustain increasing number of electric buses?
Need for stationary energy storages to support fast charging and
integrate in the smart grid (with renewable energy production)
1610/05/2017 16
Charging infrastructure and management, ways
to mitigate risks
Multi-output chargers (single charger w/ multiple charging points)
Redundancy of the charging points for charging point failure
Dynamic power allocation
Priorisation of the power allocation
Charger redundancy
Hot swap for service, automatic fault isolation
Multiple chargers
Modular chargers
Priorisation of the charging queue
Bus departure times, battery state of charge (SoC)
Charging system scalability
Possibility to easily increase capacity as the fleet grows
Enforcing the power system: grid investments, stationary storages
171710/05/2017
Charging point requirements
Aesthetics of the infrastructure
Equipment needs to fit into
the city architecture design,
where required
Grid supply equipment
(transformer, mid-voltage
switchgear)
Charger
Charging pole
Remote surveillance for the
pantograph / pole
Remote service and
supervision
Prevent vandalism
Alarm system
Techical alarms
Burglar alarm
© Siemens mobility
1810/05/2017 18
Infrastructure sharing
Increase charger utilization ratio by sharing the
charger with the maintenance and logistics
vehicles (off-peak hours)
Not utilizing the bus charging points (no
pantograph connection)
Possibly using the standard automotive CCS
connector at high power levels
Challenges
Priorization required as the fleet sizes increase
Buses need the priority
Business model for electricity invoicing
Taxing of electricity
Sourcing
© ABB Group
19
Standardisation
2010.5.2017 20
Standardisation (CEN/CENELEC)
Standardisation work on-going, based on European commission mandate
533
Objective: to develop standards: wireless recharging of passenger cars, light
duty vehicles and electric busses; battery swapping for passenger cars,
electric busses connectors and socket outlet, normal recharging points for L-
category vehicles
Standard on the way 2019
Based on an automatic system installed on the bus (ACD = Automatic
Connection Device)
The type of the pantograf (connection type) not finally decided
The details are being worked out in a technical committee CLC/TC 23H
‘Plugs, Socket-outlets and Couplers for industrial and similar applications, and
for Electric Vehicles’
AFNOR is going to suggest to include also a system connecting from
underneath the vehicle
2110.5.2017 21
Standardisation (ACEA)
ACEA has founded a new task force for charging of heavy duty
vehicles (TF-Rechargeable Systems (for Trucks, Buses and
Coaches) Electric rechargeable HDV)
The goals and objectives are not fully clear at the moment, but
but the initiative will support the progress on standardisation
The first drafts of the activity show influence from Volvo
(Oppcharge)
2210.5.2017 22
UITP standardisation of charging committee
A committee to support standardisation of (fast) charging of
buses
Meetings 2 – 3 times per year
Members: UITP, CEN/CENELEC, ACEA, VDV, VTT, LUTB,
Volvo, VDL, Daimler
Produces information and data to support standardisation
Coordinator Lars-Göran Eriksson (Volvo)
An agreement has been reached on depot charging (standard
CCS plug) and the location of the interface
On-going discussion on the automatic fast charging with
pantorgaphs
Two options on the table: roof-mounted and inverted pantograph
Positioning agreed: midpoint of the front axle
23
Open questions
2410/05/2017 24
Open questions
Energy and power grid management
Need for stationary storages in case grid stability
requires it
Charging / pantograph type
Need experiences from relevant types for
decision making
Sourcing strategies
Charging poles, civil and electrical engineering
Appearance requirements
Charger and electrical infrastructure enclosures
Charging pole appearance
© ABB Group
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