Vanner Inc. (Vanner) has selected BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules of Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (Maxwell) to provide power for a retrofit diesel engine starter system that Vanner has received a contract to install in Chicago transit buses. Each ultracapacitor module includes six 3,000-farad BOOSTCAP cells to offer the power required for Vanner’s StartSentry system. The installation of the first 460 StartSentry systems is expected to be completed by May 2009.
David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and chief executive officer, said that Vanner is purchasing 460 16-volt BMOD0500 modules through Maxwell’s channel partner, Tecate Industries.
In 2008, the Chicago Transit Board approved a $1.3 million contract with Vanner for the purchase and installation of the starter systems into Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses, beginning with 460 buses that are stored outdoors at the CTA’s North Park and Forest Glen garages. During the winter months, when temperatures fall below freezing, vehicle batteries tend to lose voltage, which reduces their cranking power and frequently requires that buses be started with an external jump start.
“If it’s below 25 degrees, buses stored outside must be started and the engines allowed to run for up to an hour to ensure proper operation,” said CTA president Ron Huberman. “By retrofitting our buses with these devices, CTA will be able to reduce the amount of time buses idle, lower emissions and noise for our neighbors, as well as improve fuel efficiency by 30 percent during the winter months.”
Vanner’s ultracapacitor-based StartSentry starting system is designed to hold a charge of energy so that the ultracapacitor can aid in the starting of the vehicle. As the ultracapacitor provides the bulk of the power when the vehicle is started, the life of the battery and starter is increased. If the battery voltage is too low for the vehicle to be started, the ultracapacitor module will act as a “defibrillator” to provide an on-board jump start. Unlike batteries, which generate and store energy through an electrochemical process, ultracapacitors store energy electrostatically, enabling them to deliver full power output at extreme temperatures down to 40 degrees below zero.
Maxwell’s BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor cells and modules meet or exceed demanding transportation industry requirements for both watt-hours of energy storage and watts of power delivery per kilogram, and are designed and constructed to perform reliably for more than one million discharge-recharge cycles. The BMOD0500 16-volt module features a compact, rugged, fully enclosed and splash proof design, polarized waterproof connectors, individual cell balancing and includes voltage and temperature sensor output.