KleanDrive reveals latest repowering solution
KleanDrive, a specialist in electric conversion of heavy vehicles, is revealing the latest version of its electric bus repowering solution.
Adopting CATL Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery cells and Voith motors in its drivetrain, housed with all power electronics in its in-house developed framework and skid system, KleanDrive says its powertrain has a usable battery capacity of 324kWh (352kWh gross), which it says enables 195miles of driving range at 50% passenger occupancy.
Kleandrive says the solution delivers a purchase price saving of £300,000 over a new battery electric bus and that a bus converted using the kit offers a third of the operating costs of a diesel bus.
Fully modular and scaleable, KleanDrive’s plug-and-play system allows the whole drivetrain to be rapidly fitted or removed from where the diesel engine was previously housed, with a layout optimised for efficiency, reliability and ease of routine maintenance, designed to minimise running costs and maximise time on the road. Designed for volume manufacturing offsite, KleanDrive’s powertrain can then be installed in partnership with a fleet operator’s technicians, while all of the software has been developed by the conversion specialist to manage the interaction between the original vehicle and the new drivetrain.
“…we are making conversions much more time efficient, with our modular, plug-and-play system capable of being installed in partnership with the fleet operator’s technicians in their own workshop” – Joe Tighe, CEO of KleanDrive
Joe Tighe, CEO of KleanDrive, said: “We have developed a battery cell and motor agnostic drivetrain system, which can rapidly incorporate fully warranted new technologies in this incredibly fast-moving market. By working with industry-leading suppliers – as opposed to developing individual components in-house – we give customers access to the best technology in the class in a system that has been designed to be efficient, easy to service, cost effective and reliable.
“Using CATL’s LFP chemistry cells gives us more usable capacity than competitor larger gross capacity, Nickel, Manganese Cobalt battery packs, translating to a class-leading 195 miles of range at 50% passenger load. At the same time, we are making conversions much more time efficient, with our modular, plug-and-play system capable of being installed in partnership with the fleet operator’s technicians in their own workshop.
“For an operator this means their buses stay in their facility, with no need to transport them to us for conversion, saving time, money and carbon footprint, while empowering the operator’s technicians to work on the vehicle for routine maintenance after conversion. Factor in the huge upfront purchase price saving over a new electric bus and the game-changing saving in operating costs and our solution ticks all the boxes.”