Grayson Thermal Systems has revealed details of its vehicle thermal management system (VTMS) for battery-electric buses, which the supplier says has contributed to the class-leading energy consumption of the Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner double-decker.
VTMS combines battery thermal management and heat pump and air-conditioning technology into one system that reduces costs and space claim. Grayson spent over two years developing VTMS at its research and development hubs in Birmingham and the Czech Republic. The system can also incorporate waste heat recycling and motor cooling.
Complementing the variant for double-decker battery-electric buses is another for commercial vehicles and the off-highway sector. Grayson believes that VTMS could generate £15m of sales by the end of 2023 and more than £25m by 2025, with commercial volumes starting to grow from 2024 onwards.
Because of that projected increase in requirement, Grayson is “investing heavily” in its UK manufacturing and build capability, leading to the creation of jobs in Birmingham.
The StreetDeck Electroliner with 340kW/h of battery capacity was found during testing by Zemo Partnership at UTAC Millbrook to return energy consumption of 0.68kW/h per km. Wrightbus was the first vehicle manufacturer to integrate the Grayson VTMS into parts of its vehicle range, in 2021.
Ian Gillott, Managing Director of Parts and Service at the Ballymena bus builder, notes that VTMS has played a part in achieving that low level of energy usage. “Thermal management is critical to vehicle efficiency and the partnership between Grayson and Wrightbus has allowed us to fully optimise that,” says Mr Gillott.
Grayson Thermal Systems European Sales Manager Matthew Hateley adds that the supplier is well into the next stage of development for VTMS, which will “further improve” the product. Mr Hateley says that VTMS also comes with a “unique software platform and clever logic” that allows component sharing for different uses.
That approach allows a smaller and lighter solution. In addition, Grayson has delivered a “unique way to recycle waste energy back into the system – helping the battery to conserve power while at the same time delivering optimum heating and air-conditioning performance.”
