Israeli in-road wireless electric vehicle charging technology provider ElectReon (TASE: ELWS) today announced that it has signed a 5-year agreement with Israel's Dan Bus Company to expand its wireless charging network to support public electric bus routes in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Electreon will supply Dan with 200 electric buses with active charging at operational city terminals for buses between bus journeys and while passengers board and disembark. Implementation will cost $9.4 million.
ElectReon's charging strategy allows for the reduction of electrical grid connection capacities at the bus facilities and reduces vehicle battery capacity, size and weight for Dan Bus Company’s electric buses, cutting fleet vehicle down-time and enabling extended operational hours.
ElectReon will provide a full charging service at terminals in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area and in southern Israel, for which Dan will pay a monthly fee for the complete charging service stack for 200 electric buses.
Dan chose ElectReon’s Charging as a Service (CaaS) model, in which ElectReon finances the charging infrastructure at the terminals and provides operation services and maintenance throughout the length of the 5-year project. The partners will also explore the option of installing ElectReon’s wireless charging system for the rest of Dan's electric fleet and in Dan’s highway project Netivei Ayalon.
In the project's first stage, ElectReon will install wireless charging systems in 100 buses and at the major public transport terminal, Reading, in North Tel Aviv. In the second stage, within two years, the charging infrastructure will be expanded to other major terminals in Tel Aviv and in the southern Israel, so that the company will provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in total.
Electreon CEO Oren Ezer said, "Not only will this be ElectReon’s first large-scale commercial project, it will also be a world-class showcase of wireless EV charging for fleet vehicles. This will continue to demonstrate the improved efficiency and cost savings that electric bus fleet operators can expect by implementing wireless charging infrastructure."
Dan CEO Ofir Karni said, "In order to turn Dan's public transportation network in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area into a fully electric network, the company is currently establishing a charging infrastructure system and support for one of the largest public transportation operators in the region. We have tested ElectReon's technology and it has proven to be suitable for top-up charging at operational terminals as part of our day-to-day operations and workflows. This advanced technology is expected to enable our electric fleet to achieve greater range and extended operational hours while flattening peak energy consumption loads from overnight depot charging and simultaneously, allow us to maintain our essential maneuvering space and operational flexibility at our terminals. What is interesting that is out of an average 19 operational hours a day, one of our buses stands for about two hours in total at one of our terminals while drivers rest, switch over or wait to pick up passengers; according to our estimations, by just utilizing this time alone to charge the buses, we’re able to provide around 30% of the vehicle’s daily energy requirements."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 4, 2021
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