Motiv Demonstrates Capabilities of its All-Electric Bus by Running it on Two Different Battery Types

Over the past six months, Motiv Power Systems has successfully run its demo all-electric bus on two different off-the-shelf battery types, demonstrating the universal battery compatibility of its electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS). This EV innovation reduces both time and expense in the design of new EV trucks and buses. The bus clocked up to 125 miles on a single charge and operating costs at $0.10/mile, 83% less than an equivalent diesel vehicle. By using modular hardware and software reconfiguration, the ePCS eliminates time and cost related to engineering and testing for different battery configurations, making the ePCS a battery agnostic technology for any EV truck or bus.

Motiv CEO Jim Castelaz will present the full set of findings at HTUF 2012 the Hybrid, Electric and Advanced Truck Users Forum in Charlotte, NC on September 18 (1.30 to 3:00 p.m.). Motiv will display the all-electric demo bus in booth #516 September 18 to 19 and in the HTUF Ride and Drive on September 20.

Data to be presented at this session at HTUF 2012 was acquired by the Motiv ePCS, using Motiv's Android-based Remote Telemetry System (RTS). This RTS is unique to the industry as it provides real-time, secure, wireless data connectivity of the shuttle bus with the Motiv cloud. The RTS monitors operations such as performance, battery charge, route, component health and vehicle status to provide detailed analytics to fleet operators for predictive maintenance and service.

"We are thrilled to show the EV truck industry this next generation of electric trucks and buses," says Castelaz. "The Motiv demo bus is the first all-electric vehicle to feature this level of detail in real-time monitoring, as well as function with two different sets of batteries in a single powertrain. This demonstrates the mix-and-match component feature of the ePCS and allows for battery sets to be compared in real world environments."

Rather than offer a single electric truck model with limited component selection, the Motiv ePCS works with a wide range of batteries, motors and chassis. This flexibility allows fleets to choose their battery vendors as well as vehicle range and power. Through its intelligent software control algorithms, Motiv’s ePCS actively manages power flow between all electrical components in the vehicle.

“Our system takes the risk out of going electric for your medium-duty truck fleet,” says Castelaz. “It's a system that supports the current diesel truck chassis OEM’s ecosystem. Fleets are free to spec the exact type of vehicle they want and work with their trusted chassis vendors.”

The Motiv demo bus was built for Bauer Transportation under an award from the California Energy Commission.