ISE Corporation explained

ISE Corporation
Predecessors:-->
Successors:-->
Founded: in San Diego, USA
Founders:-->
Hq Location City:Poway, California
Areas Served:-->
Key People:Rick Sander, CEO and President
Owners:-->
Website: (not live)

ISE Corporation ("International Space Enterprises",[1] later "Innovative Solutions for Energy")[2] was a manufacturer and integrator of heavy-duty hybrid electric powertrain systems for transit bus and truck use, based in San Diego and later Poway, California. ISE was founded in 1995 and filed for bankruptcy in 2010, shortly after raising $20 million in its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange.[3]

History

ISE Corporation was founded in January 1995[4] by David M. Mazaika and Michael C. Simon, engineers who had formerly worked for General Dynamics.[5] The first funding was a research grant provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to develop and test hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle components.[6] ISE entered a strategic partnership with Siemens in 2002, where ISE would use the Siemens ELFA traction motor, inverter, and generator in its series hybrid drivetrain systems for the United States.[7]

ISE started as an integrator, refitting vehicles with hybrid electric or electric power, including transit buses, tow tractors, and trucks.[6] In the first quarter of 2005, ISE moved from San Diego to Poway.[8]

After it declared bankruptcy in 2010, ISE sold its assets at auction to Bluways USA in February 2011 for $3.76 million.[9]

Products

ISE Corporation had two divisions: the first, simply named ISE, supported space exploration by designing micro-rover vehicles for developing and testing space system software. The second, ISE Research, was dedicated to developing hybrid electric powertrains for heavy-duty transportation applications (Class 6 and up trucks, tow tractors, transit buses).[1] In total, ISE shipped approximately 300 hybrid electric drivetrain systems.[9]

ISE Research used the brand ThunderVolt to refer to the series hybrid drivetrains it had developed. The drivetrain included the traction motor(s) and controllers (branded ELFA, provided by Siemens), an energy storage system (battery, charger, and management; or ultracapacitor), auxiliary power unit (APU, to generate electric power for the traction motor and energy storage systems), and hybrid system controllers.[10] As integrated into a mid-size (30') ElDorado National E-Z Rider transit bus, APU options included conventional piston engines (General Motors V8 or Cummins 5.9L), using diesel, gasoline, propane, or compressed natural gas;[11] Capstone gas turbine;[12] and hydrogen fuel cell.[13]

ISE introduced the Hybrid Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (HHICE) variant of the ThunderVolt in 2005. The HHICE bus used a Ford Triton V10 gasoline engine that had been converted to burn hydrogen, coupled with an electric generator as the APU for the series hybrid system; it was first tested by SunLine Transit Agency.[14] During revenue service with SunLine, the HHICE engine overheated twice and caught fire once in three separate incidents in 2007.[15] Transport for London ordered ten hydrogen-powered buses from ISE in 2007, split equally as five fuel cell and five HHICE APU buses.[16]

Clients

Selected users of transit buses equipped with ISE hybrid drivetrains included:

ISE Corporation hybrid powertrain clients
Transit Agency Bus Chassis Qty Year Notes
Make Model Image
LADOTMST and E-Z Rider5 1999Gasoline-electric and Capstone Turbine-electric buses[17]
e-tranPhantom21 2004Gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrains retrofitted to used buses by Complete Coach Works;[18] the buses were unreliable and caught fire at least 30 times.[19]
Long Beach TransitGE40LF / GE40LFA87 2005–08Energy storage using ultracapacitors from Maxwell Technologies instead of traction batteries; fuel costs were comparable to or higher than conventional diesel buses.[20] More units were ordered in 2007 and 2008; fleet had accumulated 5000000miles of service collectively by 2008.[21]
SunLine Transit Agency & Winnipeg TransitHE40LF1 2005Briefly tested in revenue service; in this Hybrid Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (HHICE) bus, a conventional engine was converted to burn hydrogen and coupled to a generator similar to the Long Beach Transit gasoline-electric buses.[22] [23]
LA Metro42-BRT6 2008Gasoline-electric hybrid buses with BRT styling.[24]
RTC TransitStreetCar50 2008Diesel-electric hybrid articulated buses for bus rapid transit service.[25]
BC TransitH40LFR20 2010Fuel cell buses for 2010 Winter Games; planning began in 2007,[26] with the governments of Canada and British Columbia contributing  million to purchase and operate the buses for four years.[27] The first bus was unveiled on October 2, 2009.[28] The buses were sold after 2014 after collectively accumulating more than 3000000km (2,000,000miles) of revenue service.[29] [30]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: welcome . ISE Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/19990208014040/http://www.isecorp.com/ . February 8, 1999 . dead.
  2. Web site: Home page . ISE Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/20110506043336/http://www.isecorp.com/ . May 6, 2011 . dead.
  3. News: ISE Corp., Maker of Heavy Duty Hybrid Electric Drive Systems, Files for Bankruptcy Reorganization . Bigelow, Bruce V. . August 11, 2010 . Xconomy San Diego . 3 February 2021.
  4. Web site: About ISE . July 13, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060713214410/http://www.isecorp.com/ise_company_info/about_ise/ . dead.
  5. ISE Limited: Powering the green movement in a growing market . Richard Sander . Jordan Luy . March 22, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101224141534/http://tmxmoney.com/en/news/interviews/Mar22-2010_ISE.html . December 24, 2010 . dead . TMX Money.
  6. Web site: About ISE: Company History . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061016150039/http://www.isecorp.com/ise_company_info/about_ise/company-history.php . dead.
  7. ISE Research-ThunderVolt and Siemens Enter into Strategic Marketing Agreement Targeting U.S. Hybrid-Electric Bus Industry . September 23, 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061026222350/http://www.isecorp.com/ise_news/ise_press_releases/sep-23-2002-siemens-agreement.php . October 26, 2006 . dead.
  8. Web site: About ISE: Corporate Profile . ISE Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/20060312204140/http://www.isecorp.com/ise_company_info/about_ise/corporate-structure.php . March 12, 2006 . dead.
  9. News: Bankrupt ISE sells assets to Bluways . Freeman, Mike . February 23, 2011 . The San Diego Union-Tribune . 4 February 2021.
  10. Web site: ThunderVolt Drive Systems . https://web.archive.org/web/20010220182154/http://www.isecorp.com/tvolt_drivetrains.htm . ISE Research Corporation . February 20, 2001 . dead.
  11. Web site: 30 foot transit bus TB30-H . ISE Research Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/20010221045237/http://www.isecorp.com/spec_30_foot.htm . February 21, 2001 . dead.
  12. Web site: 30 foot transit bus TB30-HT . ISE Research Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/20010222050445/http://www.isecorp.com/spec_30_foot_THV.htm . February 22, 2001 . dead.
  13. Web site: 30 foot transit bus TB30-FCH . ISE Research Corporation . https://web.archive.org/web/20010309080927/http://www.isecorp.com/spec_30_foot_FCV.htm . March 9, 2001 . dead.
  14. ISE Delivers First Hybrid Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Bus to SunLine Trnasit . January 2, 2005 . AltEnergyMag . 8 February 2021.
  15. sunLine Transit Agency Hydrogen-Powered Transit Buses: Third Evaluation Report . Chandler, Kevin . Eudy, Leslie . June 2008 . National Renewable Energy Laboratory . 8 February 2021.
  16. News: TfL Orders 10 Hydrogen Buses from ISE . November 13, 2007 . Green Car Congress . 8 February 2021.
  17. Hybrid-Electric Transit Buses: Status, Issues, and Benefits . Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium . M.J. Bradley & Associates . 2000 . Transit Cooperative Research Program . 8 February 2021.
  18. City of Elk Grove, California Approves the Purchase of Gasoline-Powered Hybrid-Electric Bus Fleet Supplied by the Team of Complete Coach Works and ISE Corporation . August 25, 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061026222412/http://www.isecorp.com/ise_news/ise_press_releases/aug-25-2004-elk-grove.php . October 26, 2006 . dead.
  19. News: City may receive settlements for fire and failure-prone hybrid buses . Kitaura, Cody . October 29, 2009 . Elk Grove Citizen . 4 February 2021.
  20. Long Beach Transit: Two-Year Evaluation of Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Transit Buses . June 2008 . Lammert, M. . National Renewable Energy Laboratory . 4 February 2021.
  21. ISE Corporation receives order for 25 gasoline hybrid-electric drive systems for Long Beach Transit . ISE Corporation . 8 February 2021.
  22. Web site: Hydrogen Workshop for Fleet Operators . The National Hydrogen Association . 29 December 2021.
  23. SunLine Tests HHICE Bus in Desert Climate . National Renewable Energy Laboratory . 29 December 2021.
  24. Web site: Convert six (6) hybrid buses to super low emission (SLEB) transit buses . June 2, 2015 . Advanced Transit Vehicle Consortium . 8 February 2021.
  25. Transit Bus Applications of Lithium Ion Batteries: Progress and Prospects . Brecher, Aviva. Aviva Brecher . December 2012 . 13–14 . Federal Transit Administration . 8 February 2021.
  26. News: Olympics-Fuel cell buses planned for 2010 Games . August 3, 2007 . Reuters . 8 February 2021.
  27. News: Hydrogen-powered buses at Olympics under scrutiny . January 8, 2010 . CBC News . 8 February 2021.
  28. News: Largest hydrogen fuel cell transit bus fleet to serve 2010 Winter Olympics . Atkinson, Claire . November 10, 2009 . Metro Magazine . 8 February 2021.
  29. News: BC Transit's $90M hydrogen bus fleet to be sold off, converted to diesel . December 4, 2014 . CBC News . 8 February 2021.
  30. Web site: Legacies of the 2010 Olympic Games in Whistler are Powering More than Nostalgia . Kirby, Mark . January 6, 2021 . Fuel Cells Works . 8 February 2021.

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