Next-Generation Integrated Battery-Based Electric Bus Charging System
In the proposed project, the consortium will develop a novel bus charging technology that is backed up by a battery energy storage system. In the proposed project, eCAMION will lead a consortium composed of two academic partners and a potential deployment partner.
The overall project query is to create a cheaper and more effective electric bus charging system, with reduced capital and operating costs. As part of the research query, eCAMION will design and develop an inverted pantograph bus charger backed up by a Li-Ion energy storage system. The system will consist of multiple elements:
- AC/DC power electronics converters to interface with the grid
- Li-Ion energy storage system
- DC/DC power electronics converters to supply the charge to the bus
- J3105-compliant inverted pantograph and the mast hosting it
- Communication interface between power electronics equipment and buses
eCAMION will benchmark two competing semiconductor technologies for the power electronics converters – conventional IGBTs and new GaN or SiC switches. The proposed system with 480-kW charging capability will have an estimated price of $500k, as compared to roughly $1M cost for existing products.
