With three years of daily operation powered by a Malvern company’s technology, Link Transit’s electric buses are proving their worth, according to Richard DeRock, general manager of the public transit agency in Wenatchee, Wash.

Now with 12 electric buses in operation, all using wireless chargers installed by Malvern-based Momentum Dynamics, a leader in high-power inductive charging for all types of electric vehicles, Link operates one of the largest electric bus fleets of any transit system in the nation. DeRock reports that the operating cost of an electric bus is about 51 percent of a diesel-fueled bus.

Momentum Dynamics installed the first wireless charging system at Link in late 2017 and four 300kW inductive chargers in 2021. These four shared chargers support all of Link’s electric buses and keep them in constant service throughout the day.

“Momentum’s wireless chargers have been a game-changer for us,” said DeRock. “They charge our electric buses for a few minutes on the layover between routes and provide additional range, allowing our buses to stay in service for 12 to 14 hours a day — even during the harsh cold of winter. Buses typically end their day with 40-50 percent of battery charge still remaining even on the coldest days. The cost savings are real and measurable. Along with the availability of inexpensive, clean, renewable hydropower from the Columbia River and lower maintenance costs, it makes expansion of our fleet of battery-electric buses a financially sensible solution to combating climate change.”

To replace aging diesel buses and allow for service expansion, Link will take delivery of 11 more buses in 2023, and all of them will use Momentum’s wireless chargers to extend range and allow for operational efficiency.

“We are very pleased to support Link Transit in their drive to a healthier future in an economically beneficial way,” said Andy Daga, CEO of Momentum Dynamics. “Wireless charging makes fleet management very efficient because the system delivers increased range and eliminates the need for a depot full of cables and chargers, all of which are subject to wear and tear and create a hazardous condition for workers. It is the most reliable and cost-effective charging system for fleets available today.”

Other communities now using wireless chargers for their mass-transit buses installed by Momentum Dynamics include Indianapolis, Martha’s Vineyard, and Chattanooga.

Momentum Dynamics won the 2019 Emerging Technology Award from Mechanical Engineering magazine.