The electricity generated by roof-mounted battery units is used for the starting-up and driving phases instead of being returned to the overhead lines, as is the case with trolley bus lines. What’s more, the TOSA bus recovers the energy produced when braking, decelerating and travelling downhill. This energy is stored and consumed directly within the vehicle.
TOSA is therefore a major innovation in network and energy management in that it integrates the aspects of energy storage and high-power energy transfer (smart-grid and smart-metering).
Furthermore, thanks to the high efficiency of its electric motor (which is approximately twice as high as that of diesel motors), TOSA technology can save the equivalent of the annual energy consumption of around 10,000 fridges over a 12 km bus route.
This project promotes the use of renewable energies in the public transport sector. Services industriels de Genève (SIG) provides Geneva’s public transport operator (TPG) exclusively with 100% renewable electricity from certified solar or hydraulic sources, over 23% of which is produced locally.