Tescate Industries, Maxwell’s partner, will be providing Vanner Inc. with 460 of Maxwell’s 16-volt BMOD0500 modules. The saud modules are designed to give the power that Vanner’s starter system needed.

The modification of the Chicago Buses was approved early this year. The $1.3 million contract entitles Vanner to purchase and install the company’s StartSentry system into buses handled by the Chicago Transit Authority or CTA. Sources say that 460 CTA buses will undergo the said modification.

The project is a response to the operation difficulties that CTA often encounters during the winter season. Due to the freezing temperature in the cold months, CTA’s bus batteries loose needed voltage. The lost power forces CTA to use an external jump start to start the vehicles. The buses’ engine myst also be left running for an hour before hitting the roads.

Vanner’s StartSentry came as a solution to the CTA buses. With the capability to hold a certain charge of energy, the system will aid in the start-up of vehicles during winter months. The added features of the system will also allow the ultracapacitors to electrostatically save energy.

The 460 s StartSentrys is expected to be installed to CTA buses before the end of May of this year.

The FCBE 35 from Proterra is powered by the UQM PowerPhase 150 engine. The engine produces a maximum power of 201 horsepower and continuous power rating of 134 hp. Other major features of the vehicle include regenerative braking, voltage and speed control, and optimal four quadrant performance.

The test simulated the duty cycle of the transport bus which traversed the make shift business district and the major transportation arteries. On the central business district phase, the diesel equivalency of the electric bus was marked at 21.35 mpg. The arterial phase returned a reading of 17.55 mpg while the commuter phase had a remarkable 29.23 mpg.

Each stage of the test simulated a central business district run with 7 stops on average per mile cruising on a top speed of 20 mph. The commuter phase had 1 stop with a top speed of 40 mph.

The parameters electric bus was tested on a 38 seating capacity load amounting to a gross weight of 36680. The fuel economy test was conducted with the air conditioners of the bus turned off. Aircon use may reduce fuel mileage by as much as 30 percent.

The results of the test reveal that the fuel efficiency of the Proterra’s FCBE 35 outshines the commuter buses today by as much as 400%.