Campaigning for quiet, clean, electric road transport Using Overhead Electric Buses Electric trolley vehicles, with their lighter infratructure, are inheritantly cheaper to construct than equivalent light rail systems, with a carrying capacity that approaches parity. A new trolleybus propulsion system has been developed by Siemens that brings down the total cost of a complete trolleybus to little more than 20 per cent more than the cost of a conventional diesel bus. The unit is called ELFA (Electric Low Floor Axle) and is drop-centre allowing a low floor. Two small lightweight traction motors are fitted in the drop section, driving through a reduction gear train. The motor is rated at 105 kW, and is supplied with alternating current by two inverters. Each motor weighs 85 kg and is 425 mm in length, with a cross section of 245 mm by 245 mm. Each inverter weighs 17 kg to 30 kg depending on specification and is around 500 mm long with a cross section of about 200 mm by 153 mm. The width between the reduction units is 1100 mm, allowing a gangway over the drop centre. The motor and inverter are mass-produced for machine tools, industrial robots and battery vehicles so there are no development costs. Siemens has been talking to a body builder in the UK with a view to producing a complete trolleybus.

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