Vossloh Kiepe GmbH, a producer of heavy-vehicle drive systems, has selected Maxwell Technologies’ 125-V BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules for braking-energy recuperation and torque assist in emission-free electric buses. Vossloh Kiepe is producing the electric buses in collaboration with Van Hool NV for the Milan, Italy, municipal transit system.
The Vossloh-Van Hool buses for Milan are low-floor articulated vehicles equipped with ultracapacitor-based energy-storage systems that absorb and store energy from recuperative braking for reuse in powering zero-emission electric motors. The basic drive system can be augmented with energy supplied via overhead lines or a 100-kW diesel generator that is certified in compliance with the Euro-5 emission standard. The city of Milan recently announced that it is taking delivery of the first 15 of a total of 70 vehicles it has ordered from Vossloh Kiepe and Van Hool.
David Schramm, Maxwell's president and CEO, says that shipments are scheduled to begin during the current quarter on Vossloh's order for a total of 300 BOOSTCAP HTM125 heavy duty transportation modules to be delivered by the end of the year. The HTM125 data sheet is available at www.maxwell.com.