France’s Foresee Power is to provide the batteries for the roll-out of a fleet of electric buses in the country under a deal with French multinational Alstom.
Alstom’s Aptis buses, scheduled for series delivery from next year, will be equipped with lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide battery tech “as a standard feature”, Alstom said.
“The vehicle’s design, with most of its equipment on the roof, coupled with the modularity of the ZEN35 battery packs, give Aptis the greatest range flexibility when compared to other vehicles in its category,” Alstom said.
According to the companies, Aptis buses will have a range per charge from 150 kilometres to more than 250km.
“Forsee Power has been chosen for its advanced technology in terms of yield and density, its competitiveness and its ability to provide a recyclable product, from collection to the re-use of cells,” Alstom said.
The two firms said they are also working “on the best way to monitor battery use in real time— optimising usage cycles and battery life expectancy”.
BBB reported last month that German battery manufacturer Akasol had amassed orders worth €1.45 billion (US$1.7bn) through to 2024, from companies including Alstom.
