Adgero signs €3.5M deal with ultracap manufacturer Skeleton for road freight KERS
14 April 2016
Adgero has signed a €3.5-million (US$4-million) distribution agreement to ensure modules from ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies, are part of its Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) for road freight. (Earlier post.) Under the agreement, the French transport technology developer will now source SkelMod 160V modules exclusively for the Adgero hybrid system pioneered to increase efficiency for the truck transport industry.
The Adgero KERS unit consists of a bank of five high-power Skeleton Technologies SkelMod 50F 160V ultracapacitors, working alongside an electrically driven axle to capture energy loss and use this energy to re-power the vehicle.
During braking, the unit becomes a generator, recovering kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost as heat and storing it in the ultra-capacitors. The technology is controlled by an intelligent management system mounted in the truck that tracks driver input in order to automatically control the regenerative braking and acceleration boost.
The KERS is projected to reduce fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions by up to 15-25%, depending on terrain and traffic profile, while the regenerative braking system significantly reduces brake wear and associated maintenance costs.
The Adgero KERS system with Skeleton Technologies modules will be road tested next month by UK transport company, Eddie Stobart, ahead of Adgero’s expected series production this year. The truck company will test the KERS system in a curtainsider trailer—built by one of the largest manufacturers in Europe, SDC Trailers—and to be unveiled at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham later this month.
The Adgero-Skeleton Technologies exclusivity agreement covers the SkelMod 50F 160V ultracapacitor product developed for the KERS road transport application only and does not affect Skeleton Technologies’ commercial relationships with other customers. Under the deal for 2016 and 2017 Adgero will purchase hundreds of SkelMod units in a deal worth approximately €3.5 million.
The distribution agreement covers markets in the member states of the European Union, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, Iceland, Canada, the United States of America, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China.
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