The transit line connecting Geneva’s airport with suburban Geneva will soon bid farewell to diesel buses. In their place the city will deploy fully electric buses (e-buses) with 13 flash-charging stations along the bus route.
Featuring the world’s fastest flash-charging technology, the buses will take less than 1 second to connect to the charging point and the batteries can be charged in 15 seconds at the bus stop. The batteries can be fully recharged at the terminus at the end of the line is just 4 to 5 minute. The innovative technology was developed by engineers at ABB, which is headquartered in Zurich.
According to an ABB statement, the global technology group and the Geneva utility SIG carried out a successful pilot project of the first such e-bus on the route from Geneva airport to the Palexpo exhibition centre.
Geneva’s public transport operator TPG and the Swiss bus manufacturer HESS have now awarded the USD 16 million order to ABB to deliver and deploy the charging stations along Line 23. As part of a separate award, ABB will supply flexible drivetrain solutions for the buses, roof-mounted battery units and energy transfer systems for the 12 fully electric TOSA buses.
“We are proud of this breakthrough technology to support Geneva’s vision of providing a silent and zero-emission urban mass transportation for the city,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division.
Luc Barthassat, Geneva’s state councillor for transport and environment, said the project “opens the way for the future of mobility by providing a sustainable and environmentally friendly mass transport solution for the well-being of our community.”