Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus will install new slim, high-energy batteries into its hydrogen buses, following the renewal of its partnership with French electric mobility company Forsee Power.
The flat format of the batteries allows for integration into the chassis of both standard and double-decker buses. The modular system has an integrated liquid-cooling system and is intended for battery-electric buses and hydrogen buses with high autonomy and overnight charging. Each bus will be equipped with 333kWh to 423kWh of power.
Sébastien Rembauville-Nicolle, general business development manager at Forsee Power, said: “One of Forsee Power’s strengths is our ability to develop the right technologies and products to meet our customers’ needs. This renewed trust from Wrightbus is a fine example of our international strike force with products suited to a wide variety of markets and applications.”
Several hundred battery systems will be provided to Wrigthbus per year and the buses are scheduled to be rolled out in Belfast from 2021.
Since the partnership was initially agreed in 2016, Forsee Power has supplied its Pulse 2.5 battery modules, which combine a slim format with high power to free-up space for the integration of fuel-cells. The supplier said this is especially important in double-decker Streetdeck buses, which cannot integrate batteries in roofing and has higher consumption than a single-decker.
Wrightbus has since registered nearly 100 orders for hydrogen buses in cities such as Aberdeen, London and Liverpool. It also announced earlier this year a plan for an additional 3,000 hydrogen buses.
