Vossloh Kiepe and Hess deliver twelve battery-powered trolleybuses to Switzerland

The Zurich Public Transport (VBZ) has ordered twelve Ligh Tram 24-metre double-articulated trolleybuses from Vossloh Kiepe GmbH and Hess AG.

The special feature of these buses lies not only in their unusually large transporting capacity but also in their completely emission-free operation. The electric drive developed by Vossloh Kiepe facilitates this: the new feature here is the use of a modern Li-ion battery (Li battery) as a substitute for the usual diesel generator aggregate. By combining overhead-line operation and energy storage via Li traction batteries, the buses run without using any fossil combustibles. Thus the Ligh Trams are sustainable and environmentally friendly as well as ultra-silent.

The batteries are charged while the vehicles are in operation using the overhead lines. They are designed in correspondence to Zurich’s special requirements and can thus be operated over stretches as far as 1.5 km without the need for overhead-line operation. It is possible to fully operate the new vehicles electrically, especially in areas with building sites and bus lane blockage of the. This also facilitates exhaust-free and low-noise manoeuvring and parking in the bus depot. The performance electronics are supported by a high-power battery chargers which are also able to charge the batteries with energy released during braking. It is integrated in the roof-mounted equipment enclosure and can recharge the traction battery within one complete line cycle. Delivery of the new 24-metre vehicles to the VBZ will begin as early as autumn of 2012.

In addition to Supercaps supplying energy to applications with high cycle loads, the lithium ion batteries offer an additional possibility of environmentally friendly energy storage. With this innovative equipment, Vossloh Kiepe has created yet another alternative feature for buses used in public transport services.