Top U.S. Renewable Energy, Transportation Laboratory Purchases Lightning Hybrids' Hydraulic Units for its Colorado Campus
LOVELAND, Colo., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the only U.S. federal laboratory dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development, and commercialization, has installed its second fuel-efficient, hydraulic hybrid system on a passenger shuttle bus for the lab's 632-acre campus in Golden, Colo.
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The hydraulic hybrid system, made by Colorado-based Lightning Hybrids, is now running on two of NREL's campus shuttle buses in Golden, Colorado. The hybrid system makes the buses cleaner, more fuel efficient and improves their braking efficiency. The first Lightning Hybrids bus has been in service on NREL's campus for more than a year, and the second bus went into service last month. The buses, both Ford E-450s, are run by MV Transportation, NREL's service provider for their shuttle service. MV transports more than 500 NREL employees and visitors around the campus.
"We are very proud that NREL, which represents the best of the best in federal research into sustainable vehicle technologies, has selected the Lightning Hybrids system," said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning Hybrids. "To have NREL use our Lightning Hybrids product to serve their campus and their team is an endorsement of the quality and engineering of our hydraulic hybrid system."
NREL works with public and private organizations to research and develop innovative vehicle and sustainable technologies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels to improve U.S. energy security as well as air quality.
"NREL has been happy to utilize its campus shuttles to help Lightning validate the performance of their technology," said NREL's Matt Ringer, a Commercialization Program Manager. "Working with a local company to help them grow their business while at the same time advancing our mission of sustainable transportation development has made this project very rewarding for the Lab."
An executive order issued by the White House in March 2015 (Executive Order 13693, titled "Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade") calls for tougher goals for renewable energy in federal buildings and fleets. NREL is leading the way by employing advanced technology in their campus fleet with the two hydraulic hybrids from Lightning Hybrids.
The system from Lightning Hybrids is a patented, parallel hydraulic hybrid system that has no electric batteries. Instead, it applies a hydraulic system to the driveline of a vehicle to regenerate braking energy. Hydraulic pumps and a lightweight accumulator brake the vehicle, store the braking energy, and then use that stored energy to provide power to the wheels. In doing so, fuel is saved and harmful emissions are cut.
Last fall, Lightning Hybrids received the top honor at the Industry Growth Forum hosted by NREL in Denver. The event brought 30 emerging cleantech industry company finalists from a field of 115 to present their technologies and business models to a panel of investor judges. Each company was graded on factors including the quality of the product, market, business model and team.
About Lightning Hybrids
Lightning Hybrids designs and manufactures the hydraulic hybrid Energy Recovery System (ERS) for medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles which provides fuel efficiency by regenerating braking energy, provides safer braking and more power for acceleration, and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. The ERS does not have any batteries, instead safely and efficiently stores energy mechanically in composite hydraulic accumulators, which are a fraction of the cost and weight of batteries. It can be installed on new vehicles as well as retrofitted on vehicles already in service. It is sold through a network of dealers and upfitters. For more information, go to www.lightninghybrids.com.
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SOURCE Lightning Hybrids
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