KACO develops innovative battery charger for Volkswagen

We at KACO are taking our name very seriously. The new tag line new energy encompasses the breadth of our dedication to becoming an integral part of the new energy economy.



Taking part in the large-scale project initiated by Germany's Federal Government and Volkswagen, KACO is taking the responsibility of being a new energy company a step further.

The project, which is called "Flottenversuch - Elektromobilitaet" or in English "Fleet Test - Electric Vehicles", was initiated and is being realized by industry partners and German Universities. The project will be subsidized with 32.5 Million Euro for four years. The idea behind it is to run a fleet of 25 cars powered by renewable energy!

Goal of this project is the further technology development of the "Plug-in-Hybrid" technology. Vehicles equipped with this technology do not exclusively run on a
conventional combustion engine, they also drive with a battery which can be recharged by simply plugging it into an outlet.

Not only will the battery support the general acceleration of the car, which will increase the driving comfort a lot - it'll also regain some otherwise lost braking energy which makes it notably friendly for the environment!

All in all the battery is supposed to decrease the mileage dramatically.The "Plug-in-Hybrid" technology allows the driver to switch to driving on battery support only, which is perfect for short distances and city traffic.

The further development from hybrids to vehicles that only run electronically is very difficult. Conventional batteries don't last long enough and are very expensive.
"We want lithium-ion batteries to be used in these types of vehicles," says Prof. Winter of the Institute for Physical Chemics, WWY Muenster, Germany. "These batteries have three times the energy potential of conventional auto batteries. That would be sufficient enough to run the vehicle completely on battery in city traffic and to commute to work - especially it can be easily recharged while parking."



KACO's top management and engineers were understandably excited to make their uniquely innovative contribution to this important project.

That's why KACO has developed an onboard battery charger for the Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive.
When driving short distances this VW Golf is powered by an electric motor which is fed with electric current from alternative energy sources and has a reach of 50 km or 32 miles. The combustion engine only starts when the distance is longer than 32 miles.

The battery charger developed by KACO is an innovative device based on before mentioned state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery technology.

The development which convinced with its very compact construction and modern CAN communication interface draws on KACO's long standing experience in the field of rail vehicle applications.

KACO would like to point out the outstanding cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute on this project!

Sources: Informationsdienst Wirtschaft, www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie.pc/winter/