Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus Co., Ltd., Toshiba Corporation and Drive Electro Technology K.K. have launched a new demonstration project that seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a super-rapid-charging electric vehicle (EV) bus using a pantograph charging system.
The project utilises a diesel bus retrofitted with both EV technology and a Toshiba lithium-ion battery ‘SCiB’, as well as a pantograph charger that has been installed at Rinko Bus’s Shiohama bus depot in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo.
Initial test runs of the EV bus have now been concluded, and preparations are underway for the start of the demonstration itself. The bus is scheduled to begin service on routes operated from the depot around December 2026, marking Japan’s first use of a pantograph-charged EV on a local bus route.
Overall, the project will evaluate the bus’s performance, charging times and operational efficiency within real-world operating conditions.
Operational verification of the EV has been handled by its owner, Rinko Bus, whilst Toshiba has manufactured battery modules for its SCiB, and Drive Electro Technology has retrofitted the bus itself, designing and manufacturing components as well as the pantograph charger.
First installed at the Shiohama depot in April 2026; the pantograph charger aims to enable high power charging, reducing charging time from several hours with plug-in charging to about 10 minutes. The charger is paired with an energy storage system that uses repurposed SCiB™ lithium-ion batteries supplied by Toshiba, an approach that seeks to reduce the load on the power grid during charging and positions the batteries to serve as an emergency power source, promoting their effective use.
Going forward, all three companies will apply their results from the project tot he development of a pantograph charging system for use in public spaces, an initiative supported by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment 2026 programme to promote advanced systems for decarbonising transportation and other sectors.
As part of this initiative, Rinko Bus will also take the lead in promoting the installation of a pantograph charger at Kawasaki Station East Exit Bus Terminal.
