EnerDel Inc. announced Nov. 15 that their PP320-689-C Vigor+ ESS has completed 21,413 miles in nearly eight months of paid service ushering King County Metro passengers throughout the Seattle metropolitan area.
As King County Metro’s fleet of hybrid buses began to require replacement of the original nickel metal hydride (NiMH)-based battery solution, they began looking for aftermarket offerings that would increase their options beyond the standard OE solution. Ideally, that option also is able to deliver longer life, higher reliability and better performance than currently available replacement or “refresh” options. EnerDel’s PP320-689-C Vigor+ ESS fit the bill with its retrofit design with the ease of a drop-in replacement that provided the additional advantage of a lower price-point than the NiMH-based options. As previously announced, King County Metro tapped EnerDel to field test the lithium-ion ESS for an original test period of six months in one of their in-service hybrid buses. At the conclusion of the test period – including varying weather conditions and rugged terrain – the bus had documented zero ESS issues or failures. The outcome exceeded the expectations of both King County Metro and EnerDel.
“After over 21,000 miles of running issue-free and failure-free in one of the most demanding terrains in North America, we can confirm that our lithium-ion energy storage system offers a superior retrofit solution,” stated Tomasz Poznar, EnerDel’s vice president of transportation and aftermarket sales. “Our engineers adhere to the design and creation of superior products – making EnerDel the safest and most reliable systems currently available on the market.”
The EnerDel ESS used in the King County bus is rated 19 kWh thereby delivering over three times the rated energy of the original battery. The higher energy rating will ensure longer life and provide more available power with a weight savings of over 100kg compared to the NiMH-based solution.
“We are pleased to have accomplished this unblemished record with one of the largest hybrid bus fleets in North America,” stated EnerDel CEO, Dave Roberts. “King County is truly a thought-leader in the hybrid bus industry. Having the EnerDel ESS perform so well in King County’s fleet allows other metropolitan transit authorities to have confidence in the results gathered from real world data. And the data is conclusive: EnerDel’s lithium-ion ESS is a technologically superior, lower-cost option for municipalities dealing with the problem of an aging hybrid fleet. Why would anyone opt for an older, more expensive technology now that they have a field-tested alternative?”
