The government plans to allocate 80 million to push the electric minibus industry to trial new charging facilities: ready to wait for the finale

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Written by: Chen Jingqi

2020-04-13 07:00

The Financial Secretary Chen Maobo announced a new Budget in February this year, which mentioned that 80 million yuan will be set aside to implement the "electric public light bus pilot plan". The goal is to have 40 electric light buses in 2023. Pavement trial.

The industry has always been concerned about whether electric minibuses in Hong Kong will suddenly "kneel down" on the roadside due to endurance problems. Lu Chipei, managing director of local manufacturer GMi, accepted an interview with "Hong Kong 01" and said that Hong Kong has introduced charging facilities for electric minibuses, while green minibuses use a fixed route and will use the "opportunity-charging mode" (Opportunity-Charging ), Charging takes only 1 to 6 minutes, which is enough to cope with the mileage during peak hours. He also pointed out that the charging mode adopts "inverted pantograph charging", the pantograph can be installed at the head of the minibus and the roadside, and the electric minibus can still pick up and drop off during charging.

Regarding the operation of electric minibus charging stations, Lu Chipei explained that when the minibus drives 30 meters away from the charging station, the system will know whether the vehicle is authorized to charge through WiFi communication. (Photo by Zhang Haowei)

In the early years, the Hong Kong Government had funded the purchase of electric buses by franchised bus companies. The Green Transport Pilot Fund launched by the Environmental Protection Department had also approved electric minibus projects. However, the related electric vehicles malfunctioned and "kneeled down" from the roadside. The results were not significant. In the new "Budget", environmental protection measures once again focus on promoting electric vehicles. Among them, 80 million yuan is allocated to fund the purchase of new electric minibuses and the construction of charging designs, so that green minibuses walking on fixed routes will be the first to adopt.

Green Van fixed route can better calculate the power consumption required for the journey

Lu Chipei, managing director of local manufacturer GMi, said that the charging facilities for public transport or commercial vehicles in Hong Kong are seriously inadequate. After learning that the government has examined all types of public transport, it believes that public light buses are suitable for charging. By walking on a fixed route, it can have a better budget for its charging capacity and mileage, and there are already related charging technology facilities in the local area, so it has finalized the promotion of minibus electrification and implemented a test plan to test whether Hong Kong is suitable for using this model.

In terms of charging facilities, Hong Kong will adopt upside down pantograph charging, that is, the pantograph is installed on the pillar, which can be placed at the head of the minibus and on the roadside. (Photo by Zhang Haowei)

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Pick-up and drop-off during charging

As for the most important charging facilities for electric vehicles, Lu Chipei recommended that Hong Kong can adopt "inverted pantograph charging", that is, the pantograph is installed on the pillar, which can be located at the head of the minibus and the roadside. When the vehicle returns to the head, the distance is 30 meters and When charging is required, the charging station will communicate with the electric minibus in the first phase, commonly known as First-Level Handshake, and the system will know the size of the battery and whether it is authorized to charge.

When the electric minibus arrives at the charging station and parks the vehicle, the driver only needs to pull the handle, and its charging bow will land in a fully automatic mode and connect to the roof of the electric minibus. At this moment, the system will enter the second-level handshake (Second-Level Handshake), which reads the vehicle safety signal, including the battery power, the required voltage, and then begins to charge. Asked whether the charging station will affect the operation due to the relationship between the weather and the rain, Lu Chipei laughed and said, "Foreign snowfalls are all the same." At the same time, it is added that the electric minibus can still pick up and drop off during charging, and there is no problem for passengers to sit in the car.

Lu Chipei, managing director of local manufacturer GMi, said that Kwun Tong Yuminfang minibus terminal is expected to be the first pilot to build a charging device, and the related charging facilities are ready, only after the government has implemented the details and negotiated with the operator for subsidies. Can start the plan. (Photo by Zhang Haowei)

15 kilometers for one minute charging

Although there are preliminary charging facilities in Hong Kong, the industry is most concerned about the endurance of vehicles after charging. Lu Chipei explained that the characteristics of commercial vehicles in Hong Kong require electric minibuses to use the "opportunistic charging mode" and are limited to charging within 6 minutes for vehicles to travel a specific distance. He pointed out that the actual charging speed and walking distance depend on the battery size of the vehicle, but the average electric minibus can walk an average of 15 kilometers after charging for 1 minute. Lu Chipei said that it is only necessary to collect the mileage required by the minibus during peak hours and calculate the required time during non-peak hours to know the actual charging time.

What are the requirements for the actual location of the charging station? Lu Chipei explained that there must be sufficient power supply at the location of the charging station. Because of the need to charge multiple electric minibuses, the current requirement is very large. He gave an example. Some areas, such as Causeway Bay, have older electrical installations and are not enough to supply electricity. Therefore, redevelopment areas and new development areas will be more suitable.

Yuminfang minibus terminal will pilot new charging facilities

Lu Chipei revealed that the Kwun Tong Yumin Square minibus terminal is expected to be the first pilot to build a charging device. Since the plan has already been submitted to the district council of the district, it has also been approved by the Urban Renewal Authority and promised that after the reconstruction of Yumin Square, the place will There is a charging station to allow green minibuses to charge and operate, and the related packages are ready. Only after the government has implemented the details and negotiated with the operator for subsidies can the plan be launched.

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