While you wait at a bus stop, your ride might be charging up for the rest of the route A new Swedish bus system being tested in the city of Stockholm can wirelessly recharge in just seven minutes, offering a model for more efficient electrical vehicle technology for the masses.
The 755 line in Södertälje now includes a wireless inductive charging system that can replenish the power supply on the Scania-made hybrid buses that run the route every day. While the experimental vehicles still need to be charged overnight, the wireless technology improves efficiency and, by removing moving parts, can cut maintenance costs in the long run.
?The most important question for me is how you?re going to make this technology a reality for the city and help make it fossil fuel free"? says Maria Xylia, a doctoral candidate at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology who is working with the municipality and local utility to test the new system.
Scania: Creative Commons
A rendering of a wireless bus charging station

Stockholm has made impressive strides in switching to a greener transportation system. The city already achieved its 90% fossil-free fuels goal for public buses last year, five years ahead of schedule, and the nation wants to be carbon-neutral by 2050. This technology will help make it even easier to move away from fossil fuels, since more convenient electrical charging gives the city and transportation authority more flexibility in power g...