Challenges, opportunities and transferability
The system is user-friendly and safe: it uses available electrical infrastructure, charging is automated and possible under all weather conditions, and the primary coil is buried, meaning the system is unobtrusive and protected from dirt and vandalism. The implementation of the system does not require special conditions, simply the installation of a primary coil underground, its connection to the electricity grid, and the secondary coil in the floor of the bus.
Strong political will is necessary to secure invetment in electric bus fleets. In general, it is hard to convince municipalities to implement electric buses because of the perception that they are prohibitively expensive. However, a recent US study, which compared the acquisition and energy costs of electric and diesel propulsion over 10 years of operation, estimates that the costs of an electric bus pays off after between one to four years of operation.[3]
The inductive charging technology increases the profitability of an electric bus fleet because the more frequent, but shorter, charging cycles reduce the required battery capacity and increases its service-life. As a result, electric-bus-fleet operators can buy cheaper buses with smaller batteries. Furthermore, the more widespread plug-in technology used for charging electric buses – which requires direct contact between the charger and battery - is not well thought of for health and safety issues, despite the fact that the near-field coupling between the charging point and the receiver on the bus produces a magnetic field within the limits recommended by the
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.
[3] Wechlin M. (2013), Competitive and Clean Transportation. Presentation held in Geneva at the 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition.