ABB flash-charging eBus solution reaches a new milestone of half a million km

TOSA flash charging technology has been in operation in Geneva for more than a year and will equip the first 24-meter fully electric bus in Nantes

In little more than a year, Geneva has turned greener thanks to the ABB flash-charging eBus solution. Electric buses equipped with this solution have covered record 500,000 kilometers, transporting millions of passengers and reducing carbon emissions by about 1000 tons.

A technological breakthrough developed for sustainable mass transportation, TOSA is the world’s fastest charging technology and onboard traction system for high frequency and high capacity bus routes. Not only is it environmentally friendly, it also ensures that the fleet is not oversized to cover for electric buses on stand-by for charging. With TOSA, less electric buses are needed, and they can be more easily re-deployed to other lines. It takes less than a second to connect to overhead high-power charging contacts, and only twenty seconds to charge; allowing passengers to get on and off the bus as batteries are topped up.

“This is a complete system to make mobility sustainable for future urban needs and it has been tested in Geneva as the first city in the world,” says Anne Hornung-Soukup, Chair of the Board of Director of Transports publics genevois (tpg), Geneva’s public transport operator in Switzerland.

By now an established technology in the Swiss city, ABB’s flash-charging eBus solution has been selected by Nantes Metropole and will be launched in France. The world’s first 24-meter fully electric bus will go into operation in Nantes – the first time such a long bus will run completely on battery energy.

“We are excited to be among the pioneers in e-mobility, making the new buses – running on their innovative flash-charging solution – part of the Nantes modern public transportation system,” says Stéphane Bis Directeur Technique et Maîtrise d'Ouvrage from Semitan, bus operator in France.

The new electric buses from manufacturer HESS will run on the Busway Bus Rapid Transit route, connecting the historic center of Nantes with municipalities on the southern side of river Loire. It will increase passenger capacity by 35 percent, enabling sustainable transportation for up to 5,000 commuters per hour. Free from overhead lines, TOSA will also have minimal aesthetic impact on the cityscape.

“It is truly exciting to see what future mobility will look like. Together with our partners, we developed some unique technologies”, says Patrick Fragman, head of ABB´s grid integration business.