News

Electric Fuel Corp. Successfully Completes Driving Tests of Battery-Powered Bus

July 18, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

Electric Fuel Corp. (Iselin, NJ) announced that it has successfully completed the first driving tests of its battery-powered electric bus, designed to provide a full-day's operation with zero emissions in an urban environment. The bus is equipped with Electric Fuel's ZincAir energy system, which stores a record 320kWh of energy onboard the bus. The company reports that this is enough energy for the bus to run all day, even while operating with air conditioning and a full load of passengers. Electric Fuel's ZincAir energy system for electric vehicles is built around the company's battery/fuel cell, which creates electricity by using oxygen from the air to react with the proprietary refuelable zinc fuel. The Electric Fuel system boasts specific energy of nearly 200Wh/kg, or about 6 to 8 times that of lead-acid batteries. The bus also achieves higher energy efficiencies by deploying a small auxiliary battery for boosting power and for absorbing energy recovered while braking. "Reaching this milestone is a technical breakthrough. It shows that our ZincAir system can provide the previously unachievable, high-energy content required for clean, reliable urban transportation. With recent rises in energy prices, our system is a competitive solution for a healthier environment in our crowded and polluted cities," said Yehuda Harats, president and CEO of Electric Fuel Corp.