The world’s first electric mobile library bus in Turku runs on power from Kempower’s charger

It takes potent technology to charge a 12m library bus, the first of its kind in the world. Special librarian and driver of the bus, Teemu Hiltunen shares his thoughts on the project.

Special librarian Teemu Hiltunen is proud that the local library is taking part in Turku’s goal to become a coal-neutral city. It’s about time for public transport to take the necessary steps in a greener direction, he says.

Library buses are a field of transport that often gets completely forgotten by decision-makers, so we need to stand up and push for progress ourselves. It’s important to reduce particulate emissions especially on a bus that stops and stands at school yards, in front of hospitals and old age homes.

Teemu Hiltunen

This library bus is charged by a Kempower C-series charger made up of two module units that offer a power output of 80kW. The CATL battery of the bus holds 172kWh and takes only 2 hours and 6 minutes to charge fully.

In summer conditions, the bus can travel up to 170km on a single charge. In winter temperatures of up to -19 degrees its reach is about 130km.

Teemu Hiltunen

In Teemu’s experience, the C-series charger is handy-sized, efficient and potent enough for the needs of their 12m bus.

It was a pleasure to be part of the hands-on installation process: fitting ground-breaking charging technology to a unique electric library bus. The technicians and I shared the thrill of knowing we were building something that has never been done before in any library anywhere in the world.

Teemu Hiltunen

About Kempower

Kempower Oy designs and manufactures DC fast charging solutions for electric vehicles operating in the most demanding conditions. The company is a largescale charging system supplier that aims for smoothly running and practical electric mobility infrastructure. With 70 years of experience in demanding electric power supplies, Kempower sets the bar high in engineering and user-experience design. Kempower’s charging solutions are designed and manufactured in Lahti, Finland and are available globally.