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Volkswagen's new electric bus with niobium battery promises to revolutionize the automotive market.
Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, Toshiba and Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), began this Wednesday, 19th, the first real operating tests of a prototype electric bus powered by lithium ion battery with niobium. The new technology, developed in partnership by the three companies, promises a niobium battery with ultra-fast recharging, in which the vehicle can reach maximum charge in just 10 minutes.
Project between Volkswagen, CBMM and Toshiba started in 2021
For the CEO of Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, Roberto Cortes, in an interview with Exame, it will be a generation for the future of mobility. Cortes explains that the project began in 2019, with CBMM and Toshiba developing titanium mixed oxide technology with the addition of niobium for the anode of lithium-ion battery cells, called NTO. In 2021, Volkswagen was invited to participate in the project.
According to the executive, it will be the first niobium battery with this technology for automotive use in a commercial vehicle. Due to its originality and how Volkswagen is a pioneer in Brazil in the development, manufacture and sale of electric vehicles, the company was approached to discuss the feasibility of applying the electric bus.
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In practice, Niobium battery technology will allow vehicles to run 24 hours without requiring a long period of charging. Another promise of the new technology is that the battery will have a useful life of up to three times longer than conventional ones.
Volkswagen already has an electric bus model innovator
Currently, the automaker's electric trucks and buses that use a conventional battery have a charging system configured for nighttime. O e-Volksbus, for example, is the first electric bus made entirely in Brazil with a capacity of 22 tons and a range of up to 250 km. The minimum vehicle charging time is up to 1 hour with two plugins and a maximum of around 2,5 hours (one plugin).
Regarding the likely value of the bus when it goes on the market, the Volkswagen CEO states that the niobium battery project is still in its initial phase and more time is needed to understand its feasibility.
According to the executive, obviously the initial price of the new technology is much higher than diesel, which already has an economy of scale. Therefore, the company defends public policies for the development of these new technologies.
The companies did not disclose the total investments for the development of the technology. CBMM informs that it invests around R$250 million per year in its technology program. Of this total, in 2023, only the new niobium battery program received R$80 million.
Find out how the Volkswagen electric bus test will work
The vehicle will run daily on a fixed route, with pantograph recharging scheduled for the beginning or end of the route. The operation will provide data on both the characteristics of the Niobium battery and the vehicle, with the aim of signaling necessary adjustments for future commercialization.
At this stage, all components will be monitored in real time to analyze their behavior and thus feed the technology improvement and development processes. Only after this phase will it be possible to determine the next steps for launching the electric bus.
Regarding the battery with NTO technology, the expectation is that it will be available for sale in 2025. Configured on an 18-ton chassis, the electric bus prototype has an estimated range of 60 km, with a recharge time of 10 minutes using a pantograph. 300 kW.
Recharging in 10 minutes sounds perfect, except for the 60 km range. If the desired range is 600 km, then the recharge will be in 1h40.