ThunderVolt Diesel Hybrid-Electric Drive Buses Reach 25,000 Mile Mark in New Jersey

Electric Vehicle Product Update from ISE Corporation
Volume IV * 2004.04.01

SAN DIEGO, CA - A pair of 40-foot transit buses using ThunderVolt diesel hybrid-electric drive systems supplied by ISE Corporation (ISE) achieved a major milestone with New Jersey Transit (NJT) this month, surpassing 25,000 miles of total revenue service since the buses were deployed. These Nova RTS buses - the first two of three buses - hybridized by ISE for NJT have also demonstrated high reliability and better in-service fuel economy than any other transit buses of this size, including competing hybrids.

Impressive results achieved over the last six months of revenue service include:

• In-service availability of 90%, with only three drive system-related maintenance issues over this period.
• Operating five days a week, each bus has averaged more than 700 miles per week.
• Average fuel economy has exceeded 5.75 miles per gallon, and since ISE upgraded its hybrid control system four months ago, the buses have averaged more than 6 mpg.

The series hybrid drive system developed by ISE is the most advanced in the world. The diesel hybrids in New Jersey feature a unique "idle-stop" feature, in which the Cummins diesel engine stops running automatically every time the vehicle stops for more than a few seconds. This contributes to the buses' high fuel economy and also reduces harmful emissions, as well as reducing noise when passengers board and disembark.

The results in New Jersey are particularly impressive because the buses are operating on a relatively high-speed suburban route, whereas the ISE series hybrid drive system was designed primarily for vehicles engaged in urban stop-and-go driving.

"The performance of the ThunderVolt drive system in New Jersey dispels the myth that parallel hybrid drive systems outperform series hybrid systems on higher speed routes, or any routes for that matter," according to Michael Simon, ISE Chairman and Co-CEO. Data compiled by New Jersey Transit show that the ISE series hybrid has outperformed the conventional buses in its garage by an average of 22% over the past six months, and 29% over the past four months.

Another unique feature of the ISE hybrid system is that it comes equipped with either advanced nickel sodium chloride batteries or ultracapacitors. Neither of these options is offered by ISE's leading hybrid drive system competitors. The New Jersey buses use the nickel sodium chloride ZEBRA batteries, which store 2-3 times the energy contained in competing battery systems. The buses can be plugged into the electric power grid to derive part of the bus' operating energy, mitigating the impact of rapidly escalating fuel costs. ISE drive systems equipped with ultracapacitors can achieve even greater fuel economy than ISE's battery-based systems, based on the lighter weight and greater efficiency of the ultracapacitors. ISE offers the new ultracapacitor option through a strategic marketing partnership with Maxwell Technologies, the leading ultracapacitor manufacturer in the U.S.

ISE's ThunderVolt hybrid drive system also makes use of Siemens ELFA motors, motor controllers, and generators. These are the most proven hybrid bus components in the world, having been used in more than 700 buses in Europe. These Siemens components have been used in more than 30 million miles of total revenue service - more than all other heavy-duty hybrid drive system combined. In the ThunderVolt configuration, the result is an exceptionally reliable drive system that is warranted by ISE and Siemens for up to five full years.

ISE's hybrid drive system is also available in a gasoline-fueled version that uses the ultra-clean Ford Triton 6.8 liter engine. In addition, a hydrogen-fueled version of the ISE drive system, using a Ford Triton engine converted to burn gaseous hydrogen, is in development and scheduled to be demonstrated later this year. Buses featuring ISE's gasoline and diesel fueled hybrid systems will be exhibited at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Bus & Paratransit Conference in Denver on May 3 of this year. The ISE ThunderVolt hybrid-electric drive system enters large scale production this summer, and can be used in virtually any major bus model.

Director of Marketing

Click for printable PDF file (198.36 KB)

ISE Corporation
7345 Mission Gorge Road, Suite K
San Diego, CA 92120
Phone: (619) 287-8785
Fax: (619) 287-8795
www.isecorp.com
marketing@isecorp.com