Increasingly high prices of fuel, including diesel or diesel, making the company's interest to create and develop electric bus technology intensified. One is Proterra Inc.. of Golden, Colorado, United States. The company is known hero in designing and building electric propulsion systems, energy storage, control of the vehicle, bus rapid transit and charging for larger vehicles.
One proof of the greatness of the company, last week General Motors Venture LLC dare invest 6 million dollars to help Proterra develop electric bus with fast charging batteries.
Operating Costs
According to, Jeff Granato, President and CEO Proterra, using an electric vehicle, transit bus companies can save costs up to $ 600,000 (USD 517.5 million) for 12 years plus maintenance costs 70000-90000 dollars (USD 60-77 million). It is inferred based on the operational costs for electricity for the battery charge just 10 cents per mile compared to one dollar for every mile diesel.
Nevertheless, assuming that Proterra boss could not swallow them raw by bus entrepreneur. Because the price of a new electric bus is very expensive. Meanwhile, Proterra itself does not mention the price of its products. But automotive analysts or observers, said the electric car twice the price of petrol cars in its class. Examples are Nissan and Chevy Volt Leaf.
Lithium-titanate
Another drawback of electric vehicles, the limited mileage. To completely charge the battery, such as the Nissan Leaf can only be run sejauh160 km. Well, what if the traffic jam conditions such as in Indonesia, while the passengers need to be cool (meaning the AC must be turned on, as well as entertainment and communication system!)? Even for the bus Proterra, mileage for one full battery charge only 50-60 km.
However, for transit buses, electric vehicles is considered more practical. The reason, the route can be estimated, for example, could have been any stops are equipped with battery charging. Proterra using chemical batteries, lithium-titanate type. Superiority, can be charged in 10 minutes every few hours throughout the day with a lifespan of 8 years or more.
The battery is a major problem in electric cars. According to Granato, lithium-ion batteries, have a weakness, if often filled quickly, a short shelf life. Hence, the company is developing an automatic charging system.
As the bus approached the charging, the system automatically connects (wirelessly), the arm was on the bus charging. Furthermore, the bus will stop when the charger is attached. In this way, charging can be done when passengers up and down.
If the route there is no room charge, can be put into power to the existing outlet in a few minutes. Further, the key innovation on this bus, which is made of a composite body so that it can reduce hundreds of kilos of weight, including batteries.
Fast Charging
Charging system quickly as Proterra, according to Technology Review, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has also been dikembagkan by Sinautec Automobile Technologies, in Arlington, Virginia with partners from China, Shanghai Aowei Technology Development Company.
For this, the bus uses ultra Capacitor that can be charged faster than lithium-titanate battery. Yet only for a distance of several kilometers. As a result, the bus must be equipped with more depots along the route.
Meanwhile, the system created by Proterra allow bus simply did once charging on each route. With this, it will reduce the amount of filler that price is still expensive (estimated $ 50,000 per unit). BYD reported from China, has made a rapid charging system for the bus, which is 30 minutes with a capacity of 50 percent!