Advanced Electric Machines has announced its intention to supply an electric motor-based kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) for retrofit into bus applications.
The supplier says that the product has been shown in truck-based usage to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 28%. Fitment of the package is easy, the manufacturer claims, and it can be transferred between vehicles without the need for permanent chassis modification.
Design of the KERS unit is specific to commercial vehicles. It unifies the Advanced Electric Machines HDSRM300 electric motor with ultracapacitor storage and heavy-duty power electronics.
The package works by using the motor as a generator during deceleration to recover energy that would otherwise be wasted, and then utilises that stored energy to reduce engine load when the bus accelerates.
Use of the electric motor – which includes no rare-earth elements in its production – helps to make the system easier to recycle and more sustainable, the manufacturer says. Unlike some previous KERS products for bus use, the manufacturer has confirmed that there is no flywheel within the system and that the motor design allows a ‘true’ freewheel action.
Overall emissions, including NOx, PM and brake particulate matter, have been reduced by up to 80% in development vehicles, Advanced Electric Machines claims.
Business Development Consultant Richard Lidstone-Scott adds that the KERS unit “is a fast, flexible and fuel-agnostic means of bus hybridisation, reducing fuel consumption and emissions while pushing businesses to achieve the lowest overall driving costs.”
Continues Mr Lidstone-Scott: “There is no need for new charging infrastructure. The system can last for more than a decade in service, and it can be removed and refitted to other vehicles. It is a no-brainer for operators looking to maximise their margins by reducing fleet costs.”
Advanced Electric Machines was founded in 2017 when it was spun off from Newcastle University’s electric motor research team.
