BAE Systems introduces HybriDrive series hybrid system for articulated buses

HybriDrive traction motor. Click to enlarge.

BAE Systems launched its HybriDrive series propulsion system for articulated buses at the American Public Transportation Association Annual Meeting & Expo in New Orleans, La. The HDS 300 system—the latest member of BAE Systems’ HybriDrive family—will support higher capacity buses with gross vehicle weight ratings of up to 63,000 lbs (28,576 kg).

The HDS 300 features the same benefits as its HDS 200 counterpart, now in service in the US and Canada. The integrated hybrid power system maximizes a fleet owner’s operational budget due to its superior efficiency and low maintenance costs. The system can be purchased as a standard package or with electrified accessories which further increase the system’s efficiency by reducing energy demands on the engine.

The HybriDrive Modular Traction System (MTS) in the series hybrid platform comprises a traction motor and a traction generator to provide power to the vehicle. The liquid cooled, high power-to-weight ratio electric traction motor connects directly to a standard drive shaft and rear axle to provide traction power and regenerative braking. The traction motor incorporates a fixed ratio reduction gear, eliminating the need for a gear shifting transmission. This provides shift-free propulsion for the transit bus and provides a noticeably smoother ride for passengers than traditional diesel or parallel hybrid buses.

The traction motor is the sole source of propulsion for the vehicle and is sized accordingly. The combination of the down-sized engine, generator and traction motor occupies an equivalent space claim of a typical engine/transmission unit. This system’s design and packaging makes it easily adaptable to multiple bus models and easy to install. The MTS can be installed in-line T-drive, V-drive, or transverse.

The traction motor in the HDS 300 delivers 230 kW (308 hp) peak from 435–1933 rpm and 180 kW (241 hp) continuous from 53–660 rpm. Torque is 6,750 N·m (4979 lb-ft) peak from 0–145 rpm and 5300 N·m (3909 lb-ft) int. from 0–338 rpm.

Buses equipped with HybriDrive series have travelled more than 300 million miles, prevented more than 280,000 tons of CO₂ emissions, and have saved more than 25 million gallons of diesel fuel.

BAE Systems is working with bus manufacturers New Flyer and Nova Bus to make its HDS 300 hybrid electric propulsion system available to North American bus transit fleets.

Source: Green Car Congress

BAE Systems and Crane Carrier Company partner on heavy-duty parallel hybrid-electric propulsion systems for refuse trucks

BAE Systems has entered into an agreement with Crane Carrier Company, a US market leader in the refuse collection vehicle (RCV) industry, to integrate a heavy-duty hybrid electric propulsion system into one of its vehicles. The new alliance will perform field trials this year with a plan for Crane Carrier Company to offer HybriDrive powered vehicles to the market by the end of 2012.

This alliance will introduce the use of the HybriDrive parallel system into the North American RCV market and is part of BAE Systems’ broader strategic initiative to address a range of heavy-duty truck vocations that also will include construction, pick-up and delivery, and utility.

The HybriDrive parallel system is based on a single electric machine integrated between the engine and the transmission. The system can be installed with minimal impact to the vehicle, and enhances propulsion through an optimized blending of internal combustion engine power and electric power.

The HybriDrive parallel systems’ power and torque ratings range from 95 - 145 hp (71 - 108 kW) and 300 - 400 lb-ft (407 - 542 N·m). The system is designed to support large-bore heavy-duty power plants ranging from 350 hp to 600 hp (261 to 447 kW), with associated torque ratings of 750 to 2,150 lb-ft (1,017 to 2,915 N·m).

The new parallel system—the latest member of BAE Systems HybriDrive family—complements and draws upon the company’s HybriDrive series hybrid system, currently deployed in more than 3,500 transit buses across North America and Europe.

BAE Systems has formed similar relationships with leading original equipment manufacturers in the transit bus market for its HybriDrive series product in Europe and North America.

BAE Systems has produced hybrid propulsion systems for city transit buses since 1998. Buses equipped with BAE Systems’ HybriDrive series system have travelled more than 300 million miles and transport more than two million passengers a day in cities across the UK and North America that include London, Manchester, Oxford, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Ottawa, Houston, and Seattle.

Source: Green Car Congress

BAE Systems Developing Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System for Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks

BAE Systems, producer of the market-leading HybriDrive series hybrid system for transit buses, is developing a parallel hybrid propulsion system designed for medium- and heavy-duty truck applications. The parallel system is the latest version of the company’s HybriDrive system.

The HybriDrive series propulsion system—currently in service on more than 3,000 transit buses in cities around the world and with more than 200 million miles of revenue service—meets the demands of urban transit duty cycles, which require low average speeds and frequent stop-and-go operation. The HybriDrive parallel system is designed to address the needs of vehicles with duty cycles that require higher operating speeds and less frequent stops.

The development of a parallel system is part of our strategy to broaden our HybriDrive product family to meet the growing worldwide need for more efficient transport and energy management. Our HybriDrive parallel system is the perfect hybrid electric solution for vehicles that operate in diverse duty cycles beyond standard urban operational modes.

—Steve Trichka, vice president of power and energy management for BAE Systems

HybriDrive series and parallel technologies both use simplified and proven components and controls to deliver their capabilities. While the series system does not use a transmission, the HybriDrive parallel system is based on a single electric machine integrated between the engine and the transmission. The system can be installed with minimal impact to the vehicle, and enhances propulsion through an optimized blending of internal combustion engine power and electric power.

The system’s energy management and control capabilities ensure all energy flow—such as propulsion and regeneration—occurs in the most efficient fashion, resulting in lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

The HybriDrive parallel system, in final stages of development, will see its first road trials next spring and is expected to be deployed in markets around the world in 2012.

BAE Systems’ HybriDrive series system has transported more than a billion passengers in cities across North America and in the United Kingdom including New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Ottawa, Houston, Seattle, London, and Oxford, UK, and powers vehicles by the world’s leading bus manufacturers, including Daimler and New Flyer in the United States and Alexander Dennis and Irisbus Iveco in Europe.

Source: Green Car Congress