Milton Keynes to Lead the Way With Wirelessly Charged Electric Buses

Milton Keynes to Lead the Way With Wirelessly Charged Electric Buses PR Newswire LONDON, September 25, 2012 LONDON, September 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Initiative could reduce bus running costs by between £12-15k per annum An innovative approach to charging electric buses is to enable the quieter, cleaner future of public transport in Milton Keynes. Today, eight organisations led by a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co Europe ("Mitsui") will sign a five-year collaboration agreement committing to the replacement of diesel buses with their all-electric counterparts on one of the main bus routes in the city by summer 2013. Uniquely, the new buses will be able to recharge their batteries wirelessly through the day, which means that for the first time, electric buses will be capable of the equivalent load of a diesel bus. The number 7 route in Milton Keynes will replace its diesel buses with eight electric buses that will run seven days a week; removing approximately 500 tonnes of tailpipe CO emissions per year as well as 45 tonnes of other noxious2 tailpipe emissions. The route currently transports over 775,000 passengers a year over a total of 450,000 miles.