Vanner Incorporated recently announced that they will be using BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules produced by Maxwell Technologies. The leading company of electric power conversion systems said that the Maxwell product will be used to surge power to its engine starter system contracted to be used in the modification of Chicago transit buses.
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.
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Posted by admin at 5:44 am on July 11th, 2009.
Categories: Alternative Fuels, Maxwell Technologies, Vanner. Tags: Bus, Public Transportation, Tescate Industries, Vanner.
A performance test of the Proterra electric bus was conducted recently by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. During the three runs done, the people mover had the best result of 29.23 MPGe and the worst at 17.55 MPGe.
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.
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Posted by admin at 1:10 am on May 28th, 2009.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Fuel Economy, Proterra. Tags: Bus, Electric Vehicles, Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficiency, Proterra, Public Transportation.
designed to give the power that Vanner’s starter system needed.