-Japan’s first passenger service electric bus with pantograph charging on public roads will demonstrate the system’s effectiveness-

Kawasaki, Japan—Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus Co., Ltd., Toshiba Corporation and Drive Electro Technology K.K. today launched a demonstration project^*1 to confirm the effectiveness of a super-rapid-charging electric vehicle (EV) bus using a pantograph charging system.

For the project, a diesel bus owned by Rinko Bus that was retrofitted as an EV bus and equipped with Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™, and a pantograph charger has been installed at Rinko Bus’s Shiohama bus depot in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo. Test runs of the EV bus have been completed, and preparations are under way for the start of demonstration operation. The bus is scheduled to begin demonstration service on routes operated from the depot around December 2026, marking Japan’s first use of a pantograph-charged EV on a local bus route^*2. The project will evaluate the bus’s performance, charging times and operational efficiency in real-world operating conditions.

Rinko Bus is responsible for operational verification of the EV bus, Toshiba for manufacturing battery modules for its SCiB™ lithium-ion batteries, and Drive Electro Technology for retrofitting the EV bus, including designing and manufacturing components, and manufacturing the pantograph charger.

The retrofitted EV bus^*3

The pantograph charger, installed at the Shiohama depot in April 2026, enables high power charging, reducing charging time from several hours with plug-in charging to about 10 minutes. The charger is paired with an energy storage system that uses repurposed SCiB™ lithium-ion batteries supplied by Toshiba, taking full advantage of their long service life. This approach reduces the load on the power grid during charging and positions the batteries to serve as an emergency power source, further promoting their effective use.

The three companies will apply know-how gained from the project to the development of a pantograph charging system for use in public spaces, an initiative supported by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment 2026 program^*4 to promote advanced systems for decarbonizing transportation and other sectors.

As part of this initiative, Rinko Bus will take the lead in promoting installation of a pantograph charger at Kawasaki Station East Exit Bus Terminal. Charging buses while in service will support the achievement of operational efficiency comparable to that of diesel buses. By developing charging infrastructure that can be used by multiple operators, the companies aim to accelerate the electrification of local bus services and contribute to carbon neutrality.

Images of pantograph chargers installed in a public space

A ceremony to launch the project was held today at Shiohama bus depot, attended by representatives and guests of the project partners and from local and national government.

• This project utilizes the results of the demonstration project “International Demonstration Project for Introducing Electric Vehicle Buses with Fast Charging System in Putrajaya, Malaysia” commissioned by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
• Source: Rinko Bus, Toshiba and Drive Electro, as of October 2026.
• The bus's distinctive paintwork was designed and executed by FUJIFILM Imaging Systems Co., Ltd.
• Rinko Bus news release (Japanese): https://www.rinkobus.co.jp/2026/08/07/b29aa5cbd09a14e156e8dc0c7f0c41757b130866.pdf (PDF)(482KB)