Futuristic bus trial makes Malaga an electric transport lab

TRIALS of an electric bus system expected to be copied worldwide are being undertaken in Malaga.

The route of the Malagueña Transport Company (EMT) serves the community of university students studying at the Teatinos campus.

Buses take a 2.5-kilometer journey that takes up to 12 minutes and carries 150,000 passengers a year.

The electrical power system, which is being tested for the first time, involves the bus plugging into sockets embedded in the asphalt to recharge batteries.

This aims to be fast, silent and invisible to users and lasts between two and five minutes and aims to have no impact on journey times.

The city will become a laboratory to test the technology and measure its impact on the electricity grid, the recharging operation and the traveller’s experience. During two-months trial passengers will travel for free.

Miguel Ruiz, manager of the EMT said electric buses are the future but the technological challenges had to be overcome.

Until now, these types of vehicles can only be recharged in garages but the new system will allow the vehicles to charge as they make their journey.

The prototype project, known as Paloma, is funded by the Feder Funds of the European Union and the CDTI (Center for Industrial Technological Development), the project is supported by the City Council of Malaga, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the University of Malaga.