Electric buses are gaining popularity and it may not be too long before they’ll become a common sight on the streets of our towns and cities.
In the past week or so, two electric bus stories have been creating a bit of a stir.
The first is in relation to solar assisted bus dubbed the Kayoola, constructed by Uganda’s Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC). The bus features two lithium-ion battery banks, one of which can charged by solar panels on the roof of the bus to increase the vehicle’s 80km range.
According to the BBC, the 35-seat bus could be massed produced at a cost of up to USD $58,000
KMC evolved from a collaboration between Makerere University, the Uganda Ministry of Trade, Industry & Cooperatives, and the Office of the President of Uganda.
The company has two other prototype vehicles; the Kiira EV, a two seater 100% electric car, and the Kiira EV SMACK – a rather interesting name choice. The SMACK is a 5-seater sedan hybrid powered by both lithium batteries and petrol.
The Kayoola will be officially launched in a week.
Also in the last week, the University of Montana in the USA announced it is ordering two 40-foot Proterra Catalyst Fast Charge buses and a charging station for its campus routes; the first university in the USA to add electric buses to its fleet.
“We take great pride in our decision to go electric,” said Jordan Hess, ASUM Office of Transportation director. “This innovate (sic) service aligns with student advocacy and reduces our carbon footprint.’
The Proterra buses will avoid 1,392 tons of emissions during their 12-year service life and save an estimated 123,500 gallons of diesel fuel.
Constructed with advanced carbon-composite materials, Proterra says the buses are the lightest on the market. A fast charge option enables recharging in less than 10 minutes, with a nominal range of up to 80 kilometres between charges. The Extended Range (XR) battery option offers nominal range of up to 290 kilometres per charge, with recharging only taking about 90 minutes.
The buses are expected to enter into service at UoM in the middle of this year.
The University of Montana press release doesn’t mention the electricity source that will be used to recharge the vehicles; i.e. whether it will be renewables or fossil fuel based – or a mix of both.
A great deal of UoM’s energy efficiency efforts to date have been around energy efficiency and building improvement projects across campus. The institution appears to have at least one small solar power system installed on campus, with others in the pipeline.
Trivia : The world’s first solar bus first went into service is Adelaide, South Australia in 2013. However, that vehicle doesn’t have solar panels on its roof like the Kayoola. The bus is recharged by a solar panel system installed on top of Adelaide Central Bus Station.
