While the municipal trolleybus system in Sao Paulo is under threat of closure and conversion to battery-electric and diesel bus operation in the mid-term due to lobby-driven political decisions, the suburban system of the EMTU EMTU (Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos S.A.) most likely will see a process of expansion and modernization – see our previous report here.
Brazilian manufacturers Mercedes Benz (chassis), CAIO (body), Eletra (e-equipment) and WEG (motor) have built the first prototype of a 21.5m long low floor vehicle called “e-Trol”. which has a total capacity of 146 passengers (60 seated and 85 standing, plus space for a person in a wheelchair or with a guide dog). The intension is that 92 of these four-axle articulated buses will mostly operate on the future 17.5 km long BRT service between Sao Bernardo do Campo and Sacoma (interchange with Metro line 2). The vehicles will have offside doors as all stops along the new line will be island platforms.
Wiring at stations will include passing loops to allow express trolleybuses to overtake. It is foreseen to install the wiring along the line only in one direction as the e-Trol buses will use their high battery storage capacity to operated longer sections off-wire in battery mode. In-Motion Charging (IMC) is the common term for this kind of operation which today is used on most of the existing trolleybus systems in order to expand the range of electric operation without installing a lot of new overhead. Charging while driving avoids waiting time at charging points and contributes to cost efficiency.
The new e-Trol’s electrical system allows opportunity recharging, too, which extends the range of the vehicles to up to 300 km.
Optimistic plans foresee the opening of the first part fo this new BRT corridor in 2025. The existing EMTU trolleybus network is to be modernized starting in 2025/26. Trolleybuses operate here with a mix of diesel and hybrid buses as the current fleet do not cover the full need on this network. Since 2023 all two-axle low-floor trolleybuses of series 7201-7221 (new in 2002/3) are out of service due to problems with the rear-axle drives and will not be repaired. The fleet will see the entry of 10 newly converted Mercedes-Benz/CAIO articulated trolleybuses based on former diesel buses.
