A CURIOUS TRIP TO ITALY: INDUCTION-CHARGED BUSES

BLOGPOST, Fri 4 June 2010 10:51, Jeffrey Prins

When talking about innovation, most people talk about how to force it into happening. This blog is about my curious trip to Italy, where innovation has been going on since 2003: the induction-charged buses in Torino.

Bella Italia! That was the initial reaction I got when people heard that I was going to Italy. It sounded just like vacation. Bella Italia!! And it had a feminine radiance. But I had to disappoint. It wasn't vacation, but work, however beautiful my destination might be. And I was going to travel to see electric buses, nothing else. And it would be a man's journey – the delegation consisted of men, probably 20 in total and just 1 woman.

Bello Italio? When talking about transportation, buses, cars, etc. it's no wonder most talk about toys for boys. At least so it seems. The only thing I saw in Torino were buses, buses and more buses.

The next reaction: Why travel to Italy to see buses? Something quite unusual is happening to these electric buses. The dozen or so buses are being charged by induction. You know, induction, just like what some people do when they (perhaps unknowingly) put their electrical tooth brushes back in the holder or when they cook. It's contactless electrical charging. Others call it a moving plug.

I won't bore you with technical details but the company literally in charge here is Conduxtix Wampfler; I'll let them explain it on their website.

And these buses have been operating with this maintenance-free charging system for 7 years already for 3-4 different service lines (depending on whether you count the night service as well). The result: no emissions, quiet driving, cheaper operation costs (3-4 times cheaper than diesel buses!) and regular services (because of the contactless charging there is a clear need to be on time before the battery runs out). Torino is not the only city on the move with induction buses. Genoa is doing it too.

But wait, wait. Something that is going on so long, running smoothly and with huge benefits…it seems too good to be true. It is, at least for those who might lose out. After all, when you decide to organise what you do – bus transport – with respect to the environment, those companies not doing this will lose.

Now here's when the complot theory comes in!

And it seems that we are still holding on to our old ways of organising/contracting bus services, holding on to the companies that are producing diesel buses. Holding on to the jobs and employment they, the bus companies, are providing and going along with the game it seems that is being played of "next year we will do better" and "we are conforming with the Euro 1, 2, 3, 4…norms"! But we could play a new game and simply introduce electric buses with or without a moving plug. No need for talks about emissions standards, Euro 1-4. It would definitely change things, and for the best.

Now I live and work in the Netherlands, and this is the news: the induction bus is coming to Utrecht! (For the keen reader you might have picked up on this already, when reading about the role of All Green Vehicles, a company able to deliver the e-buses and talking about induction)

Induction bus, Utrecht

The novelty of having the induction technique in Holland. You don't have to travel to Italy, to see what I saw (if you are reading this in Holland). And you might try to imagine a city like Utrecht dominated by diesel buses, transformed to quiet and clean. Where there is no longer need for talk and even more talk of incorporating trams/streetcars into the city (to no avail!),  but now there is a different option. Bus line 2, the museum line, will be running electric and with no wires & plugs.

When I came back from Italy, inspired and excited by the prospects, I was again struck by how innovation works. Not on how but why it simply does not happen. Spontaneously. It's not necessary to force the issue. You simply need a few inspired people, in this case from ProRail, doing some research, scanning the market, discovering Bella Italia, and taking it back to the Netherlands.

Wouldn't it be great if innovation was always that easy?