Conductive Charging Solutions for Electric Buses

Schunk Smart Charging is now also on the road in Kassel! Under the motto ''Pssst statt Brumm'' (Hush instead of roar), 12 electric buses ensure emission-free and quiet public transport. Since mid-April 2024, eight fully electric articulated buses and four electric solo buses equipped with the Schunk charging system have been in operation. The e-buses are charged slowly and gently in the depot via the roof-mounted pantograph (up to 150 kW per bus). In addition, a further charging station on the route provides a quick energy boost (up to 350 kW) en route. With the aim of achieving climate neutrality, the northern Hessian city wants to replace all 80 diesel buses with electric buses by 2030. (image source: KVG AG / Andreas Fischer)

Krakow has an ambitious goal: by 2025, 32% of the fleet, i.e. 132 buses, are to be fully electric. To achieve this, investments have been made in new buses and charging infrastructure. High-performance pantographs at strategic stops allow buses to be charged quickly while travelling (opportunity charging). In less than 15 minutes, the buses receive enough energy for a journey of around 100 kilometres and can remain in use all day. At night in the depot, the buses are charged via the roof-mounted charging pantograph (overnight charging) - automatically and in a space-saving manner. Different charge levels of the battery cells are equalised. Another advantage: in the morning, energy for vehicle heating can be drawn directly from the charging station without draining the battery.

Zaragoza is focussing on sustainable solutions with the innovative depot charging system from Schunk. The Depot Charger SLS 301, which works according to the "top-down" principle, enables efficient charging from above. Weighing only around 15 kg, the rails are a space-saving solution for overnight charging in the depot compared to conventional pantographs. This contributes to the vision of sustainable mobility and promotes the electrification of public transport in the city and beyond.

Since April 2018, 100 electric buses with roof-mounted pantographs from Schunk have been in operation at the Dutch airport. The buses cover around 30,000 kilometres per day - completely emission-free! Thanks to the integrated system of SLS 102 roof-mounted pantographs and charging station, the batteries can be charged while the passengers get on and off the bus. With a completely empty battery, a full charge takes less than 20 minutes. This short charging time and the long range of the buses were decisive factors in the co-operation between VDL Bus & Coach, Heliox and Schunk Transit Systems.

To drive forward the electrification of vehicles, Irizar operates Europe's first e-mobility factory for buses and trucks in the Spanish city of Guipuzcoa. Schunk Transit System is a strategic partner in the design of the "ie Tram" zero-emission bus, which has the capacity, access and configuration of a tram. In order to offer as much flexibility as possible with outstanding performance, Irizar has been using Schunk's smart charging solutions since the start of the project in 2014.

Schunk is realising a unique project in Seattle: it is the only company in the world to offer pantographs that are manufactured in the USA. This means they fulfil the regulations for local content and are Buy America-compliant. The pantographs are also certified in accordance with ETL/UL, which eliminates the need for costly on-site approval during commissioning. The SLS 201 inverted pantograph is installed centrally on the infrastructure side and works according to the "top-down" principle: the vehicle parks under the pantograph, which lowers, connects to the counterpart on the roof and charges the batteries. Thanks to the adaptability of the pantograph to different vehicle heights, different vehicle types can be charged with the same pantograph, which demonstrates the high compatibility of the Schunk pantograph system.