Torotrak has confirmed that it has completed service trials of a Wrightbus StreetLite midi bus fitted with its Flybrid mechanical KERS.
The trial was conducted on a standard bus route in Kent, UK, from March 2015, aiming to demonstrate the performance of its system under real-world operating conditions including the capture, storage and release of energy from the brakes and the drivability of the system.
The company says that the results of the trial have already proven invaluable in selecting the operating strategy for the volume production system, which will be a second generation design. The new design is already undergoing detailed testing on rigs and in a Euro 6-compliant StreetLite bus, and reduces system parts and weight by 30% and 80kg respectively, said Torotrak.
Production is expected to start on the KERS units for buses in the middle of 2016, following service trials that will begin in May.
Adam Robson, Torotrak Group CEO, said, “This is a very exciting time with the bus KERS project that started in 2012 going into commercial production from the middle of this year. I am delighted with the progress we have made and we look forward to delivering our first systems to Wrightbus during the third quarter of 2016.”
January 11, 2016