UK-based bus manufacturer Optare has selected US battery maker Valence Technology’s (Valence) lithium batteries for the integration in electric buses.
Optare will install the lithium iron phosphate battery units in 45 buses for bus services in Nottingham, UK. The U-Charge battery series comes in standard Battery Council International sizes.
According to Texas-based Valencia the battery series has less than half the weight of a comparatively sized lead-acid battery module, offers 70% more runtime and can be used for applications that are restricted by lead-acid battery limitations and replacement down time.
This battery commission is the biggest so far in Valence’s and Optare’s five year partnership history.
“Working with Optare has provided the opportunity to enhance the capabilities of our battery management system (BMS) to include a variety of charging technologies, including the CHAdeMO style charging and now wireless inductive charging,” said Marc Kohler, director of product management, Valence.
“Their modular design eased the integration into our existing vehicles’ power pack designs, reducing development work, which in turn allowed us to prove the robustness of the technology on the road in a much shorter timescale and provided us with the confidence to deploy them in a greater number,” said Enrico Vassallo, chief executive officer, Optare.