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TOSA, or Trolleybus Optimisation Systeme Alimentation, is a new electric bus charging system that takes only 15 seconds to power up. It is now being tested in Geneva, Switzerland.

The system currently in place has the vehicles constantly connected to overhead trolley cables or, alternatively, running entire routes on a single charge. The new system allow buses to charge at every third or fourth stop using a device installed at the stop that engages with the roof using a laser guidance system. Once connected, the mechanism delivers a 15-second-long, 400-kilowatt boost to the bus batteries as passengers are getting on and off.

TOSA’s charging stations will be completely wireless. Image courtesy of TOSA.

TOSA enables flexible routes and eliminates the need for messy and unsightly overhead cables. Additionally, all of the electricity the buses use comes from hydropower, so no CO2 is emitted at any point in the process.

The project is a collaboration between Geneva’s public transport company (TGP), the Office for the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI) and the Geneva power utilities SIG and ABB. The trial will begin with a route from Geneva International Airport to the Palexpo exhibition system. If it succeeds, Geneva will be the world’s first city to use this concept and one step further towards a greener transport system.

Image courtesy of TPG

This article originally published at PSFK
here

Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/10/charging-electric-buses/