Spain’s Irizar Group has launched a sodium-nickel battery-powered electric city bus to be used in San Sebastian, Spain.
The 99% recyclable sodium-nickel battery pack has a capacity of 376kWh. The electric bus i2e is designed to have a range of up to 250 kilometres (155 miles) with a single charge. According to Irizar, five hours of charging guarantee 14h to 16h of driving with an average speed of 17km/h in city traffic.
The system comprises of pre-climate control that allows the bus to depart from the depot at optimal temperature and a feature that helps the driver to reduce energy consumption and increase the range of the vehicle.
The bus and coach manufacturer intends to invest over €60m ($78.8m) for the development of electric buses and production facilities. A new production plant will be built in 2016.
The Irizar Group is participating in the “Zero Emission Urban bus System” project that aims to implement electric buses in European cities. The project is funded by the European Union. The Irizar Group is the first manufacturer that delivers fully electric buses to European cities. After a test phase in San Sebastian, i2e buses will be delivered to Barcelona.
