German technology company Kiepe Electric has sold its business unit for electric systems for trolleybuses to Swiss bus manufacturer Hess, as the company moves to focus fully on its core rail vehicle business.
Kiepe Electric confirmed the transaction but did not disclose financial details. The sale marks the company’s exit from the trolleybus segment, which has included the supply of drives, traction inverters, battery systems and power supply components for so-called trackless trams or road trams. Going forward, Kiepe said it will concentrate entirely on electric systems and components for rail vehicles.
Among the technologies developed by Kiepe for trolleybuses is the KSC 200 semi-automatic current collector system. The system allows both vertical and lateral engagement with overhead wires, reducing driver workload, and features a plug-and-play design suitable for new vehicles as well as fleet modernisation projects. The KSC 200 also supports in-motion charging, enabling batteries to be charged while the vehicle is in operation.
Such technology has been used to support partially wired routes. In Nancy, for example, a nearly 10-kilometre route launched last year uses battery trolleybuses from Hess that operate around 62% of the route under overhead wires and the remainder in battery mode.
Kiepe has also worked on retrofit solutions for existing vehicles. At Busworld in Brussels last October, the company presented a trolleybus upgrade package designed to convert battery-electric buses into trolleybuses. The solution combines the Kiepe Isolating Converter and the Kiepe Smart Currentcollector to link battery systems with overhead wire infrastructure.
It remains unclear which of these technologies are included in the sale, as neither Kiepe Electric nor Hess has provided detailed information on the scope of the transaction. Kiepe said support for existing customers would continue without interruption. Existing contact personnel will remain in place, while the Italian subsidiary of Carrosserie Hess AG will act as an authorised service partner, providing technical support for trolleybus fleets in Italy.
Hess and Kiepe have a long-standing collaboration. Since 1997, Kiepe has supplied technology for Hess’s Swisstrolley O-bus series, and trolleybus variants of the lighTram platform are also equipped with Kiepe systems.