Supercapacitor Module SAM for Hybrid Busses: an Advanced Energy Storage Specification based on Experiences with the TOHYCO-Rider Bus Project

In summer 2004 and 2006 the TOHYCO-Rider^a bus with supercapacitors and IPT^b was operated by the IIEE^C for public transport services in Lucerne. A second generation version of a supercapacitor storage SAM^d was implemented and tested. A very important step in industrializing hybrid vehicles with SAM became fulfilled. The quite unique combination of a drive-chain system by means of supercapacitors and IPT, the project experiences and the issue on the efficient energy use are presented in this paper. Also the specification of a new SAM is discussed in detail. The future SAM has to be designed in a way that it is open enough for different drive systems on the market. In two main topics of the paper the concept includes technical aspects of combining supercapacitors within the balancing circuitry as well as a CAN-bus interface that make it more easy to integrate an adequate energy-management. Finally, the significance for new hybrid-bus projects will be pointed-out.