China is experimenting with a new form of electric bus, known as a
capabus, which runs without continuous
overhead lines (as an autonomous vehicle) by using power stored in large onboard
electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), which are quickly recharged whenever the vehicle stops at any
bus stop (under so-called
electric umbrellas), and fully charged in the
terminus. A few
prototypes were tested in Shanghai in early 2005. In 2006 two commercial bus routes began to use electric double-layer capacitor buses (capabuses), one of them being route 11 in
Shanghai. In 2009 Sinautec Automobile Technologies, based in
Arlington, Virginia, and its Chinese partner Shanghai Aowei Technology Development Company tested with 17 forty-one seat Ultracap Buses serving the Greater Shanghai area since 2006 without any major technical problems. During the Shanghai Expo in 2010, however, 40 supercapacitor buses were used for a special Expo bus service, and owing to the supercapacitors becoming overheated some of the buses broke down. Buses in the Shanghai pilot are made by
Germantown, Tennessee-based Foton America Bus Company As of 2013, another 60 buses were delivered the following year with ultracapacitors that supply 10
watt-hours per kilogram. The buses have very predictable routes and need to stop every or less, allowing quick recharging at
charging stations at bus stops. A collector on the top of the bus rises a few feet and touches an overhead charging line at the stop, and within a couple of minutes the ultracapacitor banks stored under the bus seats are fully charged. The buses can also capture energy from braking, and the company says that recharging stations can be equipped with solar panels. A third generation of the product which will give of range per charge or better is planned.
GSP Belgrade of
Serbia has launched the first bus line operated solo by supercapacitor buses from Chinese manufacturer
Higer. The first sustainable ultracapacitor (UC) e-bus was represented by Chariot Motors Company in the
European Union and
Sofia,
Bulgaria in 2014. The 18-month pilot project was successful and had a great public response. The UC bus was tested by the Reputable German laboratory Belicon GmbH and was defined as one of the lowest energy consumption effective vehicles. Based on the pilot's success the capital of Bulgaria – Sofia, (one of the most polluted European cities) chose the UC e-buses as one of the innovative and suitable for the city transport technology. Sofia public transport operator - Stolichen Elektrotransport put 45 Cariot - Higer 12m UC electric buses into operation, 15 in 2020 and 30 in 2021. Electric vehicles are equipped with 40kWh UCs, the buses run on routes 6, 60, 11, 73, 74, 84, 123 and 184, with 11 km average unduplicated length. In
Graz, Austria, lines 50 and 34E are running with short intermediate recharging, using 24–32 kWh
EDLC supercapacitors.
Current collectors at bus stops Pantographs and
ground-level power supply current collectors are integrated in
bus stops to recharge electric buses quickly, making it possible to use a smaller battery on the bus, which reduces the capital and running costs. == Subway and tram==