Bus-Down Pantograph Charging: Schunk’s Inverted Pantograph SLS 201
With Schunk’s Inverted Pantograph SLS 201 a technology milestone in terms of bus-down pantograph charging has been set. Since the “reversed” pantograph is not mounted onto a bus roof, but rather is integrated into the existing power-transmission infrastructure (e.g. in the roadway mast of the holding station, bus station or depot), it is the ideal EV charging station solution. With this bus charger it is possible to recharge different buses at one location.
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Inverted Pantograph
Project Director, Timo Staubach, stated:Our new inverted pantographs, in particular, are precisely tailored to meet our customers' needs.
This “reversed” pantograph is not mounted onto a bus roof, but rather is integrated into the existing infrastructure, e.g. in the roadway mast of the holding station, bus station or depot. The current collector automatically extends as soon as the bus stops underneath it and docks with the corresponding contact on the bus roof. This contact system features an open interface which is compatible with existing interfaces on the roof of the bus. Schunk also offers newly developed contact interfaces for these types of pantographs for better utilization of the installation space on bus roofs and to allow integration into the battery system. The half-scissor design gives the pantograph a wide working range and enables both conventional public-transport buses and double-decker buses to be charged at the same bus stop. Other applications, such as use with garbage trucks and special vehicles at ports and airports, are also conceivable.
On-Board Pantograph
Schunk on-board pantographs (mounted on buses) also feature a specially-developed four- or five-pin contact head. At the charging station this head docks with the contact hood attached to a retaining mast completely automatically. While parking and tilting toward the passenger entrance side of the vehicle (“kneeling”) the vehicle, the rocking design of the pantograph compensates for angle tolerances and deviations. Thanks to this special design, the contact pressure against the charging station is maintained without interruption during all phases, regardless of the position. Pulse charging at bus stops lasts no more than 15 seconds thanks to a very high electric current transfer capacity (1,000 A). So-called opportunity charging is also feasible with this system. Here, 500 – 600 A can be transferred within a few minutes. This enables the use of smaller batteries, which allows bus operators to achieve significant savings.
