Voith Turbo announced that it has opened a hybrid power-train development center in Poway, Calif., just north of San Diego. The facility will further develop Voith Turbo’s innovative hybrid diesel/electric power-train drive systems for transit buses.
The office, warehouse and testing facilities cover more than 5,000 square feet. Expanding on Voith Turbo’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the building features a large solar panel installation that provides electricity for most day-to-day facility operations.
“We are extremely excited to open a U.S.-based Hybrid Power-Train Development Center,” said Rob Wiss, vice president of Voith Turbo’s U.S. Road Division. “The center will allow us to further develop hybrid bus technologies and cater to the specific needs of our customers who want to expand their use of this emerging technology. Above all, we are making an important contribution to the U.S. economy by expanding the use of clean-energy technology in transportation fleets across the country.”
By embedding the engineering component in the development center, Voith Turbo will be able to offer expanded technical service and better serve customers’ needs and requirements. Currently, much of the research and development, as well as engineering, is based in Germany. The opening of a new development center brings Voith Turbo’s technological development closer to its customers in North America.
“Opening a hybrid power-train development center in the U.S. will be a great asset to our customers as we develop new state-of-the-art hybrid systems for transit buses,” said Kevin Stone, manager of the Hybrid Development Center. “This is a big step for Voith Turbo as we continue to expand our presence in the North American market and the hybrid transportation field in general. We look forward to becoming mainstay in the San Diego area for years to come.”
California-based Maxwell Technologies will supply ultra capacitors for Voith Turbo’s hybrid technology, expanding on Voith Turbo’s partnership with a local company. Voith Turbo is already using Maxwell to supply systems for its patented DIWAhybrid parallel drive system, which is set to begin production in October. The Hybrid Power-Train Development Center will be expanding on DIWA and creating new hybrid technologies for the U.S. Market.
