Ultracapacitor batteries are a poor fit for domestic cars, but are a unique fit for transit. Michael Graham Richard looks at how this technology is working on electric buses in China.
Ultracapacitors can be quickly charged and discharged, and can stand up to an unlimited number of cycles.
"The trick is to turn some bus stops along the route into charge stations, says Dan Ye, executive director of Sinautec [MAKER OF THE CHINESE BUSES]. Unlike a conventional trolley bus that has to continually touch an overhead power line, Sinautec's ultracapacitor buses take big sips of electricity every two or three miles at designated charging stations, which double as bus stops. When at these stations, a collector on the top of the bus rises a few feet and touches an overhead charging line. Within a couple of minutes, the ultracapacitor banks stored under the bus seats are fully charged. [...]"
FULL STORY: Ultracapacitor Buses Work... As Long as You have Lots of Quick-Charge Stations
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research