Fast inductive recharge for public transport on medium dimension electric buses: the first experience in Genoa

Aim of this paper is to describe the first experience in the field of the "inductive recharge" carried on by AMT (public urban transport company) in Genoa, that for this purpose has deployed a fleet of medium capacity electric buses. The use of an inductive coupling avoids any contacts between the user and the recharge system, operating in a high level of protection and security environment. The recharge of the vehicle is carried out by the magnetic coupling of two coils that let the energy exchange to take place. The autonomy, a fundamental parameter that has to be considered in the evaluation of a transport system like this, has demonstrated the effectiveness of the adopted recharge system philosophy: with short inductive recharge cycles carried out at the bus terminal, the battery discharge can be modulated so that the bus can always complete its mission and the main obstacle of the spreading of this type of propulsion is overcome. Data exchange between the onboard Battery Management System (BMS) and the power supply system is carried out by a wireless device that lets the module recharge with high precision. One final subject where we focus our attention is the possible emission caused by the electromagnetic fields in the coils supplied at 20 kHz. Measurements carried out by a University Department led to extremely reassuring results.