Electric City Bus

The engine subtly sizzles to life with the calming voice of some alien spaceship taking off from its moon port. Such a difference from the diesel monsters that blast the neighborhood with incredible noise and nasty fumes for miles and miles. You relax, knowing that this new phase of public transport is keeping you and your city cleaner and calmer than ever before. As of 2011, China is experimenting with a new form of electric bus, known as Capabus, which runs without continuous overhead lines by using power stored in large onboard electric double-layer capacitors, which are quickly recharged whenever the vehicle stops at any bus stop (under so-called electric umbrellas), and fully charged in the terminus. In 2009, Sinautec Automobile Technologies, based in Arlington, VA, and its Chinese partner, Shanghai Aowei Technology Development Company tested 17 forty-one seat Ultracap Buses serving the Greater Shanghai area without any major technical problems. Sinautec estimates that one of its buses has one-tenth the energy cost of a diesel bus and can achieve lifetime fuel savings of $200,000. Also, the buses use 40 percent less electricity compared to an electric trolley bus, mainly because they are lighter and have the regenerative braking benefits. The ultracapacitors are made of activated carbon, and have an energy density of six watt-hours per kilogram (for comparison, a high-performance lithium-ion battery can achieve 200 watt-hours per kilogram), but the ultracapacitor bus is also cheaper than lithium-ion battery buses, about 40 percent less expensive, with a far superior reliability rating.