Gillig electric buses will run with Akasol battery systems in the future

The American electric bus manufacturer Gillig and the battery specialist Akasol become partners – this was sealed in a framework agreement with a total volume in the low three-digit million-euro range. Accordingly, the battery specialist will supply the third generation of the AKASystem 9 AKM 150 CYC battery system for Gillig's electric buses.

"We are particularly proud to be able to provide Gillig with our new AKASystem AKM CYC, which was developed for long-distance applications and can be specifically scaled to meet individual customer needs. With our ultra-high-energy battery system, Gillig can offer various configurations with up to 686 kWh," said Roy Schulde, President of American subsidiary Akasol Inc.

 The AKASystem AKM CYC is available in configurations with 490 kWh, 588 kWh, and 686 kWh, along with a wide range of available charging options, and is built on Gillig's low-floor platform.

E-Bus production to start in 2023

Another partner of Gillig, Cummins, supplies the bus's drive system to integrate and validate the new batteries in the bus before production starts in 2023.

The AKASystem 9 AKM 150 CYC itself features numerous safety functions according to Akasol, such as two separate CPU cores to increase fail-safety, multilayer functions to prevent the spread of fire, and it was developed according to the industry standard ISO 26262.

The active liquid cooling and optimized thermal insulation of the battery system allow the cells to operate in the ideal temperature range.

With the two options for fast charging (Opportunity Charging) and charging during longer idle periods (Depot Charging), the lifespan of the battery cells is optimized. Battery cells in the 21700 standard format benefit from further development regardless of the battery system.

According to the battery specialist, energy density will steadily increase in the coming years while maintaining the same system architecture and outer dimensions of the batteries.

Manufacturing at the American subsidiary

The AKASystem AKM CYC is manufactured at American Akasol subsidiary AKASOL Inc. in Hazel Park, Michigan. The plant aims to increase production capacity to 2 GWh by the end of 2023.

What does this mean?

Batteries are getting better and better, which is why electric buses will continue to gain significant momentum. And new fruitful partnerships are forming, which should further push the issue.