Energy storage company GKN Hybrid Power (GKN) and bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) are to collaborate on the integration of flywheels in hybrid buses.
Initially, ADL will fit 250 flywheels from GKN in the company’s hybrid bus fleet. The partnership of the two UK-based firms is also aimed to enter international markets together.
The Gyrodrive electric flywheel hybrid system uses a magnetically loaded high-speed carbon-fibre flywheel to store the energy generated by a bus as it slows down to stop and then uses the stored energy to power a GKN EVO electric motor.
The Gyrodrive system is designed to last for the life of the bus eliminating the need for battery changes while offering lower whole-life costs than other hybrid alternatives, according to GKN.
ADL will introduce the low emission technology to bus fleets in London and Oxford, but anticipates rapid deployment across the UK in the next few years.
“This alliance with GKN introduces a new dynamic to the market place, courtesy of a lower cost solution that provides significant fuel and greenhouse gas reductions, coupled with reliability and durability,” said Colin Robertson, CEO of ADL.
Earlier this year, GKN aquired Williams Hybrid Power from Williams Grand Prix Engineering and formed GKN Hybrid Power.