Axion Power International Inc. has formed a five-year partnership with ePower Engine Systems LLC that will put Axion's proprietary PbC batteries and battery management systems into the Class 8 diesel-electric hybrid truck retrofits and conversions that ePower performs.
The companies originally announced the agreement in October 2012 and have since worked together to retrofit a Peterbilt 386 to include 56 PbC batteries and the associated equipment. The heavy-duty tractor is currently being road-tested.
‘Our early testing has gone well and has demonstrated an ability to increase miles per gallon by more than 35 percent,’ says Thomas Granville, chairman and CEO of Axion Power. ‘With improved synergy of function between the proprietary hybrid drivetrain and our PbC batteries, [improvements] in miles per gallon exceeding 50 percent can be achieved.’
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