Multinational electronics company Toshiba is partnering with Japanese bus operator Rinko Bus and Swiss electric bus equipment manufacturer Drive Electro Technology on a demonstration project to test the effectiveness of a rapid-charging battery powered by a pantograph to charge an electric bus in 10 minutes.
Drive Electro Technology will produce the pantograph charging system and convert a diesel bus to electric, powered by a Toshiba SCiB rechargeable battery. The pantograph charging facility is being installed in a bus depot in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo. Operation of the test bus on the city’s roads will begin in November 2025.
Used batteries installed in the pantograph charging system will be charged to reduce power consumption during peak demand and used to supply power to the onboard battery via the pantograph.
The project aims to take the lead in introducing the system in Asia to address the challenges of long charging times and the need for large charging spaces and numerous charging facilities that present barriers to widespread adoption of e-buses.
Source: Toshiba
