Progress on the Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR) scheme continues to gather pace, with the commissioning of the first rapid battery charger for Urban Very Light Rail.

The charger has been developed at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley and will be tested on the prototype Coventry VLR.

The adapted, 450kw overhead bus opportunity charger can top-up battery powered VLR vehicles in an estimated three minutes.

It uses a pantograph that lowers from above, rather than one fitted on the roof of the tram. Known as "opportunity charging", the overhead system means VLR vehicles can be charged at scheduled stops or at the ends of routes.

The set-up is the first of its kind in a rail application and was completed by Furrer+Frey with the vehicle designers, Transport Design International, alongside WMG at the University of Warwick and the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, who are building and will operate the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre.

It allows for lighter batteries and is seen as critical to maintaining a high-frequency service, while also saving drivers the manual effort of plugging in and facing lengthy periods charging in depots.

The vision is for the chargers to be used by buses as well as light rail vehicles, with stations serving multiple bus and rail routes as part of an electrified public transport network.

Coventry VLR is intended to be cheaper and easier to install than a typical metro, through innovations in the design of the vehicle, its traction power and the track it runs on. Last year, French engineers Ingerop, WMG and the University of Warwick, revealed a novel track form for the Coventry scheme which will reduce costs from between £25 - £100 per km to just £10 per km.

Coventry City Council councillor Jim O’Boyle said:  “This is an important milestone for the Coventry Very Light Rail project, which demonstrates the tight integration we expect to have between Coventry Very Light Rail and our all-electric bus fleet, with both being able to charge at a single site.

“The charger is a key piece of the puzzle which, alongside the vehicle’s battery – avoids the need for overhead lines and means the system is zero emission.”

Furrer+Frey head of projects Noel Dolphin added: “Coventry Very Light Rail is an exciting project for our industry, pushing the limits of new technologies, materials and battery power to deliver something cost-effective for smaller urban areas.

“Our engineers have adapted our all-in-one opportunity charger to communicate with and power the prototype VLR vehicle.

“Transforming the compatibility of these chargers demonstrates how they could form a key part of a cost-effective, integrated and multi-modal transport system – providing power to both electric buses and very light rail.

“We are very confident opportunity charging will be a major contributor to the electrification of public transport in the UK.”

Development of the VLR system is supported by Coventry City Council, with the aim of drawing up a full business case by 2023 with the first phase of the line earmarked for opening the year after.

Coventry VLR is being led by Coventry City Council and supported by a number of partners, including the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and the European Regional Development Fund.

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