NTU Singapore & BlueSG Launch Electric Shuttle Featuring “Ultrafast” Charging

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A new electric shuttle utilizing an “ultrafast” charging system — one that simply recharges itself for brief periods when passengers are boarding at stations — has been deployed in Singapore.

The new electric shuttle pilot — which was developed by Blue Solutions at Bolloré Group — was launched by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the Blue Solutions’ subsidiary BlueSG.

The NTU-Blue Solutions Flash Shuttle — as it’s been dubbed — represents the first “flash-charging” electric shuttle in Singapore, with charge times (not complete charge times mind you) of just 20 seconds.

The press release provides more: “It uses Bolloré’s Bluetram vehicle, which aims to be as efficient as tram systems, but comes with fast-charging and emission-free continuous operation.

“The road trials planned for the 22-seater shuttle will be between NTU’s Halls of Residence at North Hill and JTC’s CleanTech One, which is part of the Jurong Innovation District where special charging stations have been built. … Unlike other electric vehicles that function solely on batteries, the Bluetram replicates the efficiency of trams by operating continuously without the need for offline charging.

“Equipped with supercapacitors and a LMP battery developed by Blue Solutions, the shuttle can travel two kilometres on a single charge, with backup power that provides for an additional 30 kilometers.”

Notably, the cost of operating the new Bluetram system is reportedly 5 to 10 times cheaper than operating conventional tram systems. If true, that’s quite an incentive for a broader roll out of the tech. Also notable is that deployment times run only a few weeks.

In related news, Bolloré recently began rolling out an electric vehicle carsharing program that’s meant to supplement systems such as the Bluetram system in Singapore.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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