Pantograph charging allows electric buses to charge while in service by connecting to an overhead charging station. There are two distinct variations of pantographs: Pantograph-up – as the bus drives under the station, a pantograph arm on top of the bus rises up and connects with the overhead charging station.
A pantograph device is attached to the roof of the bus and a charging point on the ground, linking together at bus stops and terminals to charge the battery without the driver needing to get out of the bus. We offer pantograph charging with speeds of up to 600kW; adding up to 10 miles of range per minute.
Pantograph charging stations should be installed along existing routes that are unlikely to change. If a route changes in the future, the charging station may become a stranded asset, going unused and wasting resources. When combined with charging at the bus depot, pantograph opportunity charging provides flexibility and redundancy.
There are two distinct variations of pantographs: Pantograph-up – as the bus drives under the station, a pantograph arm on top of the bus rises up and connects with the overhead charging station. Pantograph-down – the scissor mechanism is on the overhead infrastructure and drops down to make contact with the bus to charge.
We offer pantograph charging with speeds of up to 600kW; adding up to 10 miles of range per minute. A Gantry & Downarm System is ideal for compact fleet depots where space is at a premium.
Today, the size and weight of a pantograph prohibit its use in passenger cars. Instead, to achieve higher charging power levels in passenger cars the focus is on optimizing the charging cable such as by adding water cooling. The batteries to be charged in passenger cars are typically smaller, so a lower power level often suffices.