Spanish Firm Introduces Electric Bus Stop Charging Stations

Here’s a pretty neat piece by Jason Golson up at WIRED that profiles a design for a new type of electric bus charger that can give transit vehicles a hearty jolt as they rest a few minutes at a stop. It’s called the Busbaar and it’s the brainchild of designers working for the Spanish firm Opbrid. Prototypes of the automatic charging station are set to be installed and tested later this year in Sweden.

As Golson explains, electric buses are a smart idea because the stop-and-go haul of urban transit is incredibly inefficient for an internal combustion engine. When a bus follows a set route, it’s also relatively easy to maintain charging stations along the way. What sets the Busbaar apart is its unique design — with a charger that lowers from a large overhang — and the impressive power it offers, charging vehicles at 650 kW. That number is nearly 3 times as much as what you get from a Tesla personal vehicle charger. Opbrid’s design also includes an optional insulating cover (probably a good idea if they’re testing in Sweden), as well as safety features that make it easy to use for most bus makes and models.

The firm also has designs for a similar product aimed at charging dump trucks, imaginatively named the Trukbaar.