Electric conductors in California
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AN ASSOCIATE recently back from the States has been extolling a system over there that could revolutionise attempts to electrify public transport.
Electric buses that can recharge their batteries from electro-magnets buried in the road will shortly start running in Santa Barbara, California. The present plan is to run a small system of buses, over about three kilometres of electric road and a further four kilometers of road under only battery power.
Up to now the choice has been between battery buses or vehicles such as trams and trolley buses which pick up current directly from a conductor.
The Santa Barbara buses will rely on a technology called "inductive coupling power collection". Electric conductors are buried in the road. These emit an alternative electro magnetic field. A collector on the buses picks up the energy across a 4cm 1.5in) air gap, and charges the bus's batteries.
Because the conductors are buried they pose no danger to passing pedestrians and the current collectors will not wear out.
A prototype will start running soon and construction of the electric road is due to start in 1985.
However, one problem that is still to be solved is how to stop battery-operated cars from being adapted to pick up the current under the roadway! NIGEL BREEZE Southend-on-Sea