In October of last year, Proterra unveiled the Catalyst XR. The electric bus can travel up to 258 miles on a single charge, which is more than the typical less-than-200-miles that public buses travel daily.
Proterra also mentioned that the Catalyst FC will be capable of charging up the battery in just 10 minutes, and a new report discusses this charging system in greater detail.
The fast-charging system of the startup, which will be capable of getting electric buses back on the road at minimal times, utilizes an overhead robotic arm with autonomous software on the electric bus to fill up the vehicle's battery within 10 minutes.
This is actually faster than the time that it takes to refill the tank of a diesel-powered bus, which holds about 80 gallons to 120 gallons of fuel.
The system is capable of charging at 250 volts to 1,000 volts DC and up to 1,400 amperes, and is about eight times faster compared with the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard and three to four times faster compared with the Supercharger stations of Tesla Motors.
Proterra's fast-charging system can be installed in bus terminals or in the same locations where diesel-powered buses refill their tanks. This is a huge benefit compared with systems for pantograph-powered electric buses and trucks, similar to the one currently being tested in Sweden, which requires overhead wires along the full length of the travel route.
Perhaps as important as the news that Proterra has developed a convenient and reliable system for charging up electric buses is the fact that the company has opened up the core patents of the system.
One of Proterra's customers asked if electric buses manufactured by another company could be used with Proterra's charging infrastructure. The client was given a license covering the charging system, and instead of the company having to do the same process for each customer that will make a similar request, Proterra has made the decision to bundle all the patents together with an open license.
According to Proterra, the decision to open up the charging system is for faster adoption of the technology, as locking the patents within the company will only slow down the propagation of electric transportation.
Electric buses, and electric means of public transportation in general, will be able to provide the world with a much cleaner future. While the technology comes with limitations, Proterra's open charging system is looking to make electric buses a more feasible option for governments.
