Successful projects in the field of battery-driven vehicles with Schunk Smart Charging

Gdynia is expanding its local transport fleet. Since May 29, 2026, eleven new Solaris Urbino 18 articulated buses with electric drive have been driving through the streets of the coastal city. To meet the charging requirements, the bus companies PKM and PKA are using solutions from Schunk Transit Systems. With Schunk Smart Charging roof-mounted pantographs the ultra-modern buses, which are equipped with air conditioning and USB charging ports, refuel quickly. This is another important step for Gdynia on the way to emission-free local transportation.

Since November 2025, the SLS 104 has been operating in regular passenger service with Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB). After six months of maintenance-free operation and zero failures, the transit operator has extended the deployment, confirming the system's reliability in daily e-bus operations.

Krakow has an ambitious goal: by 2025, 32% of the fleet, i.e. 132 buses, are to be fully electric. To achieve this, investments have been made in new buses and charging infrastructure. High-performance pantographs at strategic stops allow buses to be charged quickly while travelling (opportunity charging). In less than 15 minutes, the buses receive enough energy for a journey of around 100 kilometres and can remain in use all day. At night in the depot, the buses are charged via the roof-mounted charging pantograph (overnight charging) - automatically and in a space-saving manner. Different charge levels of the battery cells are equalised. Another advantage: in the morning, energy for vehicle heating can be drawn directly from the charging station without draining the battery.

Schunk Smart Charging is now also on the road in Kassel! Under the motto ''Pssst statt Brumm'' (Hush instead of roar), 12 electric buses ensure emission-free and quiet public transport. Since mid-April 2024, eight fully electric articulated buses and four electric solo buses equipped with the Schunk charging system have been in operation. The e-buses are charged slowly and gently in the depot via the roof-mounted pantograph (up to 150 kW per bus). In addition, a further charging station on the route provides a quick energy boost (up to 350 kW) en route. With the aim of achieving climate neutrality, the northern Hessian city wants to replace all 80 diesel buses with electric buses by 2030. (image source: KVG AG / Andreas Fischer)

Zaragoza is focussing on sustainable solutions with the innovative depot charging system from Schunk. The Depot Charger SLS 301, which works according to the "top-down" principle, enables efficient charging from above. Weighing only around 15 kg, the rails are a space-saving solution for overnight charging in the depot compared to conventional pantographs. This contributes to the vision of sustainable mobility and promotes the electrification of public transport in the city and beyond.

Since April 2018, 100 electric buses with roof-mounted pantographs from Schunk have been in operation at the Dutch airport. The buses cover around 30,000 kilometres per day - completely emission-free! Thanks to the integrated system of SLS 102 roof-mounted pantographs and charging station, the batteries can be charged while the passengers get on and off the bus. With a completely empty battery, a full charge takes less than 20 minutes. This short charging time and the long range of the buses were decisive factors in the co-operation between VDL Bus & Coach, Heliox and Schunk Transit Systems.

To drive forward the electrification of vehicles, Irizar operates Europe's first e-mobility factory for buses and trucks in the Spanish city of Guipuzcoa. Schunk Transit System is a strategic partner in the design of the "ie Tram" zero-emission bus, which has the capacity, access and configuration of a tram. In order to offer as much flexibility as possible with outstanding performance, Irizar has been using Schunk's smart charging solutions since the start of the project in 2014.

Twelve Schunk SLS 102 roof-mounted current collectors have been in use in Putrajaya, Malaysia, since 2016. The vehicles were manufactured by Toshiba, and the charging infrastructure was provided by Hasetec. The system uses the bus-up principle: the current collector mounted on the vehicle extends automatically and connects to the charging unit. This solution enables short charging times at high power levels, is suitable for line and depot operation, and reliably compensates for height differences and positioning deviations. The project demonstrates how electric bus fleets can be operated efficiently in urban areas.