It's been a couple of months since InductEV, the manufacturer behind state-of-the-art wireless charging solutions for battery-electric commercial fleets, has been in the news but now it's back with a potentially game-changing announcement.
[Related: InductEV installing wireless EV chargers at Port of Long Beach]
Together with California-based bus manufacturer ENC, InductEV has announced a new collaboration to begin offering wireless inductive charging hardware on ENC's EV buses in municipal transit fleets across the U.S. In fact, fleets in Washington State, California, Oregon, Indianapolis, and Martha's Vineyard are already using the wireless charging hardware in certain depot deployments.
“ENC is poised to become a major force in North American transit by embracing proven technology and delivering next-generation zero-emission buses with the advantages of wireless inductive charging,” said John F. Rizzo, president and CEO at InductEV. “ENC’s track record, combined with InductEV’s wireless charging technology, reinforces its leadership position in sustainable public transportation.”
A specific deployment timeline was not provided.
What makes ENC's next-generation buses unique is that they ride on a common platform engineered to accommodate battery-electric, hybrid, diesel, and CNG-powered powertrains, thus providing additional flexibility to municipalities.
[Related: InductEV, BetterFleet expanding wireless fleet charging]
In this case, the battery-electric Axess EVO-BE bus, which is offered in 32', 35', and 40' lengths, has been selected by ENC.
ENC
“We’ve been following InductEV’s municipal transit deployments across the U.S. and look forward to adding its high-power wireless charging solution to meet the varied needs of our customers,” added Dan Trujillo, ENC’s vice president of sales. “InductEV’s system creates stability, flexibility, and ease of use. Their proven deployments in transit fleets, with over 3 million miles driven and over 3 GWh of power delivered wirelessly, makes them a reliable provider for our new product line.”
The wireless charging system itself is quite impressive for several reasons, such as hands-free charging and reliability. This makes it easier for fleets to complete a one-to-one diesel bus replacement process. Wireless charging also helps extend the life of the battery itself.
The system operates by utilizing inductive charging pads, of which two are required. The first is an in-ground pad that immediately activates when aligned with the second 450 kW pad, located underneath the vehicle. This charging method reduces infrastructure footprint, maximizes fleet uptime, and enhances overall transit system reliability. Every wireless-ready bus will be available as Buy America or Canadian Content compliant.
InductEV claims these factors enable wirelessly charged fleets to be less expensive than those using traditional wired charging systems.
In Canada, Toronto-based City View Specialty Vehicles will be ENC's exclusive dealer and service provider. To date, InductEV has delivered more than 3 GWh of energy, equivalent of saving 650 metric tons of C02, to American and European consumers via its wireless charging network.
