ISE Corporation

Description

ISE Corporation (“ISE”) is a supplier of integrated hybrid-electric drive systems and control software for large buses and trucks. ISE's controllers and software govern and optimize the use of energy in its hybrid-electric drive systems, which use electric power for vehicle propulsion but also generate onboard power using conventional engines. ISE combines its control systems with electric motors, generators, and other components purchased from various suppliers and partners, integrating all of the parts into complete “ThunderVolt®” hybrid-electric drive systems that ISE sells to bus and truck manufacturers. In addition to its principal business as a supplier of fully integrated drive systems to vehicle manufacturers, ISE installs its systems into buses, trucks, and other vehicles on a smaller scale, generating additional revenue and demonstrating its drive systems in an ever-expanding variety of vehicle models.ISE was formally incorporated in California in January 1995 and has more than 60 employees. The California cities of Elk Grove and Long Beach placed the first large-scale orders for buses using ISE's hybrid drive system, and a total of 68 ISE-powered gasoline hybrid buses are presently being used in revenue service by these two municipalities. More than 30 additional ISE gasoline-hybrid buses are being used in other California municipalities, including Los Angeles, Gardena, Norwalk, Montebello, Fresno, San Bernardino, and Orange County. ISE is presently the only U.S. supplier of gasoline-hybrid drive systems for large transit buses, a technology that produces significantly lower emissions than diesel hybrid systems. More on ISE History...Hybrid-electric drive systems are gaining favor throughout the automotive industry because they have been shown to improve fuel economy and reduce harmful emissions. ISE specializes in production of “series” hybrid-electric drive systems, where the engine is completely decoupled from the driveline and is used only to generate electrical power. This type of hybrid architecture is especially attractive for large vehicles that perform large amounts of stop-and-go driving, such as urban transit buses and delivery trucks. Conventional buses and trucks of this type are highly inefficient and produce high levels of toxic emissions because they have large (typically diesel) engines that are constantly ramping up and down – the least efficient way to operate a power source. In the ISE series hybrid system, a smaller engine is mated to a generator and operated at a constant, efficient speed and power output level. When vehicle power requirements temporarily increase – such as during acceleration or hill-climbing – additional power is drawn from an onboard energy storage system comprised of batteries or ultracapacitors (a new type of energy storage device). When vehicle power requirements are low, the energy storage system is recharged. Not only is engine efficiency increased, but the vehicle is able to recapture energy whenever it slows down through a process called “regenerative braking.”

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