GILLIG LLC, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North America, today announced the availability of a next-generation energy storage system for its battery electric bus. The new storage system provides up to 686 kWh of available energy, the largest capacity in a North American transit bus.
“We recognized how critical range was to our customers, so we performed an extensive market search to identify a system that provides maximum range for those customers who need it, while also providing for modularity for those with shorter duty cycles,” said Ben Grunat, GILLIG Vice President of Product Planning & Strategy. “The new battery delivers a 32 percent increase in onboard energy capacity and therefore a significantly longer range for our customers.”
GILLIG selected AKASOL, a leading manufacturer of high-performance battery systems, for its next-generation battery. With available configurations of 490 kWh, 588 kWh and 686 kWh, together with the largest selection of available charging options, GILLIG can configure the bus to meet any agency’s requirements. GILLIG is partnering with Cummins, who provides the bus’s highly efficient and reliable powertrain system to integrate and validate the new batteries with the bus ahead of the 2023 production start date.
“We are especially proud that GILLIG decided to use our ultra-high-energy battery system AKASystem CYC for its battery electric bus in North America. The battery system is specifically developed for long-distance traffic and enables variable battery capacities with up to 686 kWh,” said Holger Dilchert, Head of Sales On-Highway at AKASOL.
Built on the company’s proven Low Floor Platform, the battery electric bus received the highest rating of any 40-foot battery electric bus tested at Altoona and is renowned for its reliability and durability. GILLIG’s use of the Low Floor Platform across its product lines helps ensure part commonality, ease of maintenance and a more seamless integration of electric buses into existing transit fleets. The platform, built on a stainless-steel, lightweight and corrosion-resistant chassis, provides for greater levels of safety, durability and quality. The bus also features integrated side-impact beams for added safety and quick-change side-skirt panels for ease of maintenance.
“We’ve assembled the absolute best partners to advance the capabilities of our electric bus,” added Grunat. “The combination of the largest onboard capacity, a high performance and highly efficient powertrain, the industry’s most robust support network, and the proven GILLIG platform delivers the best overall value proposition to our customers.”