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The partnership is focused squarely on standardization of automatic e-bus fast charging, including the communications protocol between the infrastructure charging solution and e-bus, the electrical interface and specifications for the rooftop automatic connection system (ACS).

Each vehicle will be equipped with enormous 130kw/h batteries – giving them a 100-mile range and a capacity equivalent to around six Nissan Leafs. The buses will receive regular top-up charges throughout the day from the three wireless charging points installed along the routes. Charge pads on the underside of each bus will sync wirelessly with pads installed under the road, in a process known as induction charging. Drivers will park over the pads for their 10-minute break, replenishing two thirds of the electricity used to cover the 12.5-mile route without interrupting the timetable. The consortium of companies behind the scheme – which include bus manufacturer Wrightbus, wireless charging firm Arup, bus operator Arriva and Milton Keynes Council – believe that the switch from diesel to electric will cut tailpipe emissions by around 500 tonnes every year. Running costs will also be slashed, as annual fuel costs for a diesel bus are around £23,000 per year compared to an estimated £10,000 for an electric one. And maintenance costs will be lower, too.

TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Système Alimentation) is a zero-carbon-emission solution as the electricity used comes entirely from clean hydro power. The charging time is so quick that it does not interfere with the bus schedule and improves the urban environment and landscape as it does not need overhead lines while providing greater route flexibility. The system uses a laser-controlled moving arm, which connects to an overhead receptacle for charging at bus shelters, instead of the usual trolley poles to overhead lines.

Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues.  Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.

Of the two projects, the former was initiated when Qatar realized that their current power grid could not effectively keep up with the ever increasing power demand generated by the continual economic development and urbanization happening within their borders. For this project, LS Cable & System will supply a total of 157km of 220kV level extra high-voltage cables and joint kits to the Doha area by July 2013. The latter is to supply Hyundai E&C who won a contract in 2010 to renovate the 2006 Doha Asian Games athletes’ village and office buildings into a four-building high-tech medical center. For this project, LS Cable & System will deliver bus ducts that are popularly used in buildings and factories to transmit large amounts of electricity through a small space. Analysts point out that Middle East countries are currently promoting petrochemical, refinery and power plant projects as well as large-scale public works and construction projects to boost their economies with extra spending.