Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT Madrid), an urban planning body in Madrid, has announced the implementation of a new automatic charging system for electric buses (e-buses).
EMT Madrid says the system will support 20 electric vehicles (EVs) in total and enable automatic re-charging to help minimise costs. The solution was designed to adapt to different types of electric fleet, regardless of bus or charger make.
The project’s total investment is reportedly more than €4m (£3.3m), with some funding from the European Union.
The two-phase installation is expected to happen over 18 months, with the first phase focused on launching and testing the solution on three buses, and the second part on expanding it across the fleet.
The system will use an inverted pantograph, meaning vehicles can be loaded without manual intervention or driver waiting periods. It was produced to make bus loading as time-efficient as possible.
The stations will be identical with a maximum power capacity of 180kW.
According to EMT, Madrid is the city with the most electrified routes in Spain (with 19 fully-electric lines) and is the second most electrified in Europe, after Berlin.
EMT sees EVs as key to its strategic plan to achieve a decarbonised and sustainable business model.
Madrid City Council has also committed to the gradual electrification of the city’s fleet, with the objective of reaching 25% electrification by 2025.
Last year, EMT claims to have made its biggest EV purchase to date, which includes 150 vehicles for €81m (£68.4m).
The EU’s Next Generation fund awarded the body €41.2m (£34.8m) for the acquisition of 206 electric buses until 2023, which EMT says will bring the fleet total to 329.
