Hybrid Buses, Trucks and Vehicles by ISE Corporation
Thundervolt Hybrid Buses, Trucks and Vehicles by ISE Corporation Home of the ThunderVolt® Hybrid Drive Systems
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger-ISE Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cell Buses and Trucks ISE Corporation Hybrid Buses and Trucks - Transportation For a Clean Planet
   

ThunderVolt® Drive System Overview

ThunderVolt Drive System Overview Pic 02The ThunderVolt® drive system is the standard ISE Corporation (ISE) product offering for use in large transit buses and trucks. It has five key subsystems:

  1. Motive Drive Subsystems - electric drive motors, motor controller, gear reduction system, driveline, and related components.
  2. Auxiliary Power Units (APU) - engine, electric generator, and related components. Alternative APU concepts offered by ISE include microturbines and fuel cells.
  3. Energy Storage System - integrated pack of either batteries or ultracapacitors. Monitoring, charging, equalization, and thermal control elements are included with both versions.
  4. Vehicle Control and Diagnostics - hybrid energy management controllers, dashboard displays, remote diagnostic tools, and related components.
  5. Electrically-Driven Accessories - electrical power steering and braking systems, air conditioning systems, and related components.

 

ThunderVolt Drive System Overview Pic 01
Packaging of ISE hybrid-electric drive system.

The ThunderVolt-ELFA® drive system is packaged for easy installation into buses and trucks. Below is a photo of the drive system assembly ready for installation into a standard low-floor transit bus. All major subsystems with the exception of the energy storage subsystem are included in this assembly, which slides into the rear of the bus on a standard engine cradle.

Vehicles equipped with the ThunderVolt-ELFA® drive system typically produce much lower emissions and experience significantly better fuel economy than conventionally-driven vehicles. ISE offers different choices of engines and fuels to accommodate different selection criteria. ISE's cleanest burning commercially-available drive system uses gasoline and produces less than one gram per mile of NOx. ISE's most fuel-efficient drive system uses diesel fuel, and can achieve fuel economies in excess of 6-7 miles per gallon in a large 40-foot bus, versus 3-5 mpg for a conventional bus. Vehicles using the ISE drive system have been proven to be highly reliable. ISE's drive system entered large scale production in the summer of 2004, and both gasoline and diesel versions are commercially available today. A third version using hydrogen fuel and employing an internal combustion engine modified to burn hydrogen is in development and will be commercially available in 2005. ISE's drive system is also compatible with hydrogen fuel cells.

 
Home | Company Info | Technology & Benefits | Products & Services | Customer Support
News | Hybrid Info Center | Careers | Contact ISE
Site Map
© 2008 ISE Corporation. ISO9001:2000 Registered.
For ISE employees | ISE Web Calendar | ISE Photo Gallery