Supercaps on trams. The Estonian-German cleantech startup Skeleton Technologies expands in the railway market thanks to a new contract signed with Medcom, supplier of the drivetrains of Warsaw’s trams.

Ultracapacitor systems will be situated onboard trams and provide energy savings by recuperating braking energy and reusing it for acceleration, decreasing the total energy consumption significantly. The ultracapacitor system also shaves power peaks, protecting the grid infrastructure in Warsaw. Skeleton’s components will be mounted also on up to 114 Skoda trams bound to enter operation in Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Ludwigshafen in Germany.

warsaw tram

Skeleton Technologies: supercaps ready for trams

Skeleton Technologies is market leader for ultracapacitors and energy storage systems for transportation and grid applications. The company, established in 2009 by young Estonian entrepreneurs Taavi Madiberk and Oliver Ahlberg in the small town of Tartu (Estonia), was declared Europe’s best startup in 2015 at the EcoSummit and is among the 2020 Global Cleantech 100 for the 6th year in a row. Today it has its main manufacturing site in Saxony, Germany.

As mentioned, above, Skeleton Technologies’ ultracapacitor systems are situated onboard trams and provide energy savings by recuperating braking energy and reusing it for acceleration, decreasing the total energy consumption significantly. The ultracapacitor system also shaves power peaks, protecting the grid infrastructure in Warsaw.

Energy efficiency is an issue for Warsaw’s trams

“The high efficiency of ultracapacitor energy storage is well suited to electric trams, enabling both energy savings as well as protection for the infrastructure from high peaks of power,” said a Medcom spokesperson. as reported in Skeleton Technologies press information.

“Skeleton Technologies is known as a trusted supplier of energy storage solutions in transportation applications. Together with Medcom, known globally for the high quality of their solutions for electrified public transportation systems, Skeleton Technologies’ ultracapacitor systems will make the Warsaw tram one of the most modern and energy-efficient in the world.”, said Taavi Madiberk, CEO of Skeleton Technologies.

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