The City of San Francisco is banking on zero emission local mass transit and ordering additional Xcelsior XT60 electric buses from Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer, equipped with In Motion Charging (IMC) from Kiepe Electric.
The order is based on a joint procurement transaction by US mass transit operators King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Washington and San Francisco Municipal Agency (SFMTA) in California, dating from 2013. The 60 articulated buses originally ordered for SFMTA were supplied in 2015/2016 and are now proving their worth providing reliable everyday service as part of the city’s mass transit operations. These modern electric buses offer high availability and cope smoothly with any sections of route with no overhead lines owing to local diversions around roadworks by shifting to battery-powered mode.
With their “Zero Emissions Vehicle” decals, the buses also draw the attention of local residents and passengers to their eco-friendly credentials. The electric bus fleet acts as a role model and on regular line service boosts acceptance of this state-of-the-art drive concept. Seattle originally ordered 141 IMC buses and has already exercised an option for an additional 33 vehicles. That brings the interim total to 267 IMC systems ordered from Kiepe Electric. 300 electric buses with similar equipment are already in service in Vancouver, BC/Canada and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/USA. As a result, Kiepe Electric has achieved pioneer status as a driving force in the North American market for alternative traction technologies in the mass transit sector.
The scope of supply for the 33 IMC systems in the latest order covers the complete electrical traction and on-board power system, including a powerful traction battery for sections of route with no overhead lines. Also included is the current collector system with an electropneumatic retriever specially developed for the North American market. Production of the IMC technology developed by Kiepe Electric mainly takes place at Kiepe’s US manufacturing facility in Alpharetta, Georgia.
