Contactless hybrid bus put into service at Tokyo airport

Japan's world's fastest maglev train may still be quite a few years away from becoming a reality, but it looks like the country can now brag about another slightly smaller but similarly contactless vehicle, with a new suitably futuristic bus now making its debut at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. As if that bit of technology wasn't enough, the bus is also a hybrid vehicle, and promises a sixty percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to those old 20th century-style buses. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of other details at the moment (and what is available is subject to the wonders of machine translation), but it looks like the first bus is already in service, and covering a 4.2 kilometer area around the airport.

[Thanks, kaztm]

[Richard Lai @ Feb 18th 2008 11:33AM]

60% less CO2, that's insane. Imagine this technology applied on all the roads in China.

[nh @ Feb 18th 2008 3:58PM]

What, instead of bicycles? Environmental catastrophe!

[Nick @ Feb 18th 2008 5:09PM]

@ R
Since it's not on a very large scale, it actually can use clean sources. Like wind turbines or water turbines and such.. Maybe solar panels?

[Nick @ Feb 18th 2008 5:11PM]

Woops wrong one ;) I meant the comment below.. Sorry

[E71 @ Feb 18th 2008 8:10PM]

I guess I shouldn't take my HDD-based PMP on board, huh...

[Richard Lai @ Feb 18th 2008 8:41PM]

@nh: You should see the number of motorbikes and cars in China. Bicycles are good, but for the size of each city, they will never fully replace motorised vehicles.

[Nick @ Feb 18th 2008 11:35AM]

Doesn't magnetic mean it's electric too? Shouldn't CO2 emissions be reduced 100%?

[Nick @ Feb 18th 2008 11:40AM]

Oh nevermind, I didn't see it said it was a hybrid.

[Richard Lai @ Feb 18th 2008 11:42AM]

They are probably comparing the overall chemical breakdown of the battery in its lifetime with the amount of fuel that would be burnt for the same distance.

[Richard Lai @ Feb 18th 2008 11:43AM]

Ah, I missed the "hybrid" part too. :p

[R @ Feb 18th 2008 1:41PM]

Emissions would be reduced at the site, but since it's electric, the electricity is coming from somewhere. Emissions thus won't be reduced, unless they claim to only get electricity from 'clean' sources.

[ericisshort @ Feb 18th 2008 3:10PM]

R, thats exactly what I was thinking. I don't really see this as a step forward in efficiency because of the huge amount of power it will take to get those electromagnets going. I would have to see some numbers on where that electricity is coming from.

[john @ Feb 18th 2008 11:54AM]

What does "contactless" mean, in this context?

[techyguru @ Feb 18th 2008 11:54AM]

I think "contact less" is referring to it charges without an electrical contact, aka induction. So no flying buses just yet. But this would make charging your "plug-in hybrid" or all electric vehicles easier. Just have one of these boxes that you park over each night and viola your car tops itself off on it's own. Of course it would no longer be a "plug-in hybrid" if there is no plug to go in.

[patsy @ Feb 18th 2008 11:56AM]

Salient quote from the translated article:

" Like conventional hybrids, the engine and electric motor combination, but this bus magnet using "contactless feed" and to adopt a more powerful battery for the electric driving percentage increasing the carbon dioxide emissions reduced by about 60 percent."

Donald, please don't add any more detail than the article provides. Nowhere does the article mention magnetic levitation, yet your announcing it within the same sentence as the Japanese maglev and ambiguously mentioning "similar contactless" technology implies that it is some sort of maglev bus. It is not by any details provided on the Japanese page--neither in the verbiage, nor the side elevation diagram of the bus which clearly shows large wheels in the usual location (i.e. the four corners) and some motor driving the rear ones. The main innovation in this bus appears to be the inductive power pickup from the roadway, plus some sort of auxiliary IC engine making it deserving of the title "hybrid."

[Kaminix @ Feb 18th 2008 12:01PM]

Figured a hovering bus'd be a little strange. How would they keep it on the road in curves and such?

[Drew @ Feb 18th 2008 1:08PM]

I second your opinion, Patsy. I made the immediate assumption that this would be a Mag-lev bus that would taxi around the airport... "futuristic bus"? If it was a Mag-Lev bus, then yes...

[Mile @ Feb 18th 2008 1:07PM]

Same way the train stays on the magnetic rails - with wheels, I guess.

I'll be here all week.

[Esat @ Feb 18th 2008 12:31PM]

60% of the time, it works aaaaall the time. :)

[Allen @ Feb 18th 2008 3:07PM]

Neat. I, I cannot think of any other word to describe that. Its not awesome, but its still inspired. Its not cool (because its a f!_!cking bus), but its still not dumb.

Its neat. I, guess thats nuff said.

[Ed301 @ Feb 18th 2008 3:17PM]

The greatest invention since the wheel?

[Matthew @ Feb 18th 2008 3:58PM]

It's "contactless" in that it is a MagLev, magnetic levitation. It rides on a track (much like a roller coaster) but the vehicle rarely makes contact with the track since it is levitating. Magnetic fields not only hover the bus, but keep it centered in the track as well.

[Andrew @ Feb 18th 2008 5:17PM]

This article says it is completely electric, and certainly has nothing to do with levitation. Contactless only refers to its charging.

http://www.mywire.com/pubs/AsahiJapan/2008/02/15/5677157/print/

I'm a little disappointed in the "fact checking" going on with this post. It took me 20seconds to find another article to contradict the translated interpretation.