First charging station for electric buses at Zurich Airport bus terminal

VBG has been operating the innovation line 759, which connects Zurich Airport with the towns of Opfikon, Wallisellen, Dübendorf and Wangen, for two years. In the coming months, the company will be conducting an eBus pilot operation on this 13.7 km route. Siemens Switzerland says it has installed the complete charging infrastructure at the Zurich Airport bus terminal for this project. "The commissioning of this charging system is a significant milestone for our company, as the project marks Siemens' Swiss market entry in the field of eBus charging infrastructure," says Gerd Scheller, country CEO of Siemens Switzerland. "In the meantime, we have been able to convince other well-known customers of our charging solutions in the form of Bernmobil, the Zurich transport authority and Transport Public Fribourg," Scheller added. VBG uses the Sicharge UC 400 system, including a charging mast with a lowerable (inverted) pantograph. The advantage of the pantograph is that the connection of the charging device to the vehicle is fully automatic; there is no need to connect a plug manually.

"With the innovation line 759, VBG wants to make a significant contribution to even more customer-friendly, environmentally compatible and efficient public transport in the canton of Zurich," says Matthias Keller, Director of VBG. The electric bus eCitaro from Mercedes-Benz will be used. "With its modular design of charging and battery technology, the eCitaro adapts perfectly to the individual deployment profiles and wishes of the transport companies. In this way, we are supporting the path to environmentally friendly electromobility in cities and municipalities. We are therefore particularly pleased to be able to offer Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal AG the right solution for its demanding operations. Coupled with a premiere, because this eCitaro is the first model with charging via charging rails," explains Frank Scherhag, CEO EvoBus (Schweiz) AG.

Customized solution

The 6.5-meter-high loading mast is said to weigh 2.5 tons and is located under the covered part of the terminal. To avoid disrupting passenger flows in Switzerland's largest bus terminal, the associated charging center, including rectifier and control system, is housed in a technical room in the nearby parking garage. During pilot operation, the VBG electric bus makes a scheduled stop at Zurich Airport every 9 to 12 minutes. During this time, the vehicle batteries are recharged. According to Siemens, the charging power (on the vehicle side) is designed for continuous operation of 300 kilowatts. For short periods, the Sicharge-UC-400 system can charge the electric bus with a peak power of 400 kilowatts. The scope of supply also includes a mobile depot charger with an output of 40 kilowatts. This can be used to additionally charge the vehicle during idle times, if required, according to the supplier.

Large CO2 capture

Electric buses play an important role when it comes to reducing pollutant and noise pollution in cities and thus increasing the quality of life. The use of an eBus with a daily mileage of approx. 200 km alone can save around 60 tons of CO2 per year, even compared to state-of-the-art diesel buses, as the provider points out.

Source: Siemens