Lucerne, Switzerland

Delivery: 2004-2006

For the expansion of its trolleybus operation, which has existed since 1941, the Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) has ordered eight new trolleybuses.
The new Swiss Trolley III in state-of-the-art aluminium lightweight design was developed by Vossloh Kiepe together with Carrosserie HESS AG and Rücker AG.

Thanks to the redesigned chassis with a 100% low-floor it became possible to realise four stepless boarding zones and to integrate the new Kiepe two-axle drive for trolleybuses. The second and third axles of the vehicle are now powered by motors. The drive concept is the result of the many years of experience of Vossloh Kiepe in the fields of electric traction for trolleybuses and coupled axle drives for tramcars and LRVs.

As a system supplier Vossloh Kiepe is responsible for the planning, supply and commissioning of the electrical equipment.
Vossloh Kiepe delivers the complete power train, the on-board power supply system for the heating and the air conditioning of the driver´s workplace as well as the integrated vehicle data management.

In order to master the demanding topography, also in winter, the electrical power is converted by means of the proven and well-tried Kiepe traction equipment and transferred optimally to the four powered wheels.

For this purpose each vehicle is equipped with two IGBT traction inverters operated directly at the line voltage. These traction inverters has been optimised in respect of performance and weight, and feed low-maintenance three-phase asynchronous traction motors with a power of 160 kW. Thanks to the separate control of the two traction motors the traction and braking torques of the two driving axles can be adjusted purposively.

Thus, with the help of the highly dynamic Kiepe ABS/TCS control the electric drive can react faster than the mechanical ABS and stabilise the vehicle in critical situations. Moreover, the two powered axles allow increase in the use of the electric brake and thus increase in the degree of regeneration.

Next to the two traction inverters a state-of-the-art IGBT On-board converter has been fitted in the easily accessible container mounted on the roof of the vehicle. This converter supplies the AC 400 V three-phase system, which is isolated from the overhead contact line, and the DC 24 V system from the businternal DC 600 V-level and charges the batteries. Moreover, Vossloh Kiepe has succeeded in reducing the unit volume with simultaneous increase in the performance with the help of the high-frequency electrical isolation.

Several modular controllers with microprocessor technology have been fitted for the control of the drive system. Here a central control station takes over the control of the complete system, whereas each traction inverter is controlled highly dynamically by a separate inverter control module with digital signal processor. Besides the control functions the electronic controllers take over the complete diagnosis of the drive, the acquisition of operational data and the calculation of the corresponding power consumption of the vehicle.

To enable extensive exchange of data in the vehicle, all main components have been connected with the CANopen car bus. The consequent development and the direct connection of the driver´s workplace with the Kiepe databus now allow visualisation of several kinds of up-to-date information on the colour display of the driver´s workplace.

For emission-free driving at the overhead contact line the vehicles have been equipped with the proven Kiepe current collector system, which is being applied internationally. Besides fast lowering of the current collectors in a hazardous event this system allows centring of the trolley poles in the middle of the vehicle roof.

To be able to drive the vehicle independently of the overhead contact line, the vehicle has been equipped with a state-of-the-art diesel engine certified in accordance with EURO3. With the help of this 80 kW strong engine the vehicle can drive up to 50 km/h at flat level and thus continue the line-service operation.

All the electrical equipment has been united in two Kiepe roof equipment containers, which are easily accessible from both sides of the vehicle for simple maintenance. The traction inverters and the on-board converter as well as the controller for the auxiliaries have been fitted in the roof equipment container on the front car, which can be opened on both sides by way of a patented mechanism.
The components for the main supply have been united in the roof equipment container on the trailer. These components are the main fuses, the charge and line contactors, the reverse polarity protection elements with integrated recuperation control, which feed the energy generated during braking back into the supply system, and the electropneumatic current collector control.

The double insulation prescribed for trolleybuses has been realised consequently and supplemented by the additional Kiepe touch voltage indicator.

This Swiss Trolley III, which is now at the disposal of the passengers and the service staff, is a state-of-the-art vehicle of the latest generation, which is equipped with ingenious and proven drive technology from Vossloh Kiepe.

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