We can give your used commercial vehicle an environmentally friendly second life as an electric vehicle thanks to our award-winning, production-ready repowering concept.
The innovative etrofit kits for buses and trucks enable the most sustainable form of mobility in passenger and freight transportation – both from an ecological as well as a commercial perspective.
With its electrification kits, pepper delivers high-quality production vehicles meeting the most stringent standards of the international automotive industry for functional safety.
pepper currently offers the most cost-effective mobility solution for achieving the Clean Vehicles Directive, which came into force in August 2021. Electrification of existing vehicles offers the lowest cost over the product life cycle compared to diesel or new electric vehicles. This gives fleet operators an important tool for achieving a zero-emission vehicle fleet.
The transition to electromobility is supported by the federal government’s new subsidy guidelines, which put converted vehicles on an equal footing with new vehicles. Comparable funding programs for alternative drive systems and the electrification of existing vehicles are anticipated throughout Europe to accelerate the switch to low-emission mobility.
The use of existing resources and modernization by means of our innovative etrofit kits make converted pepper buses and trucks the most sustainable and energy-efficient vehicles in their class.
While manufacturers of e-buses and e-trucks face considerable delivery delays, pepper is able to deliver high volumes in the required quality at short notice. Depending on the product, you will receive your electrified vehicle within approx. 5 months from your order.
1. Analysis
Analysis of the vehicles to be converted for technical characteristics, TÜV inspection reports, analysis of subsequent requirements such as route lengths, route profiles, round-trip times, charging points, etc.
2. Planning
Detailed specification in terms of range, battery capacity, drivetrain, air-conditioning, and optional charging concept
3. Conversion
Conversion and commissioning of the vehicle in a partner workshop including TÜV vehicle approval
4. Operation
Support and advice during recommissioning with awareness training for workshop staff and planning of the necessary charging infrastructure
The rapid pace of development and the modular vehicle concepts allow pepper to design electric drive systems for all market-relevant vehicle models at short notice – always featuring the latest digital services and up-to-date battery technology – always state-of-the-art. At the heart of this is always pepper’s own vehicle control unit (VCU), a system software architecture for controlling the entire vehicle reliably.
Quality standards met by our etrofit kit:
It also meets all the minimum standards for converting commercial vehicles to alternative drive systems that are required in the criteria catalog of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure’s conversion task force:
We have been converting existing diesel buses to electric propulsion with the etrofit kit since 2018. pepper provides the conversion service including all necessary components and complete regular certification for road traffic according to the previous mode of operation of the urban bus. pepper will also be electrifying other models such as coaches and articulated buses based on the etrofit concept in the future.
Mercedes-Benz Citaro C1 12m
Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 12m
Iveco Crossway Low Entry
6-8 weeks, depending on the condition of the vehicle and any necessary repair work
Urban buses in Germany travel an average of 180-200 km per shift. With a range of around 250 km, a converted pepper bus can therefore easily replace a diesel-powered urban bus. There is no need to invest time and money in re-planning routes.
5 months after order
Please inquire about other vehicle models.
We can convert existing trucks to electric drive with the etrofit truck kit. pepper provides the conversion service including all necessary components and complete regular certification for road traffic according to the previous type of use of the truck.
Mercedes-Benz Actros MP3
Mercedes-Benz Actros MP5
Available soon: Mercedes-Benz Atego
approx. 6-8 weeks, depending on the condition of the vehicle and any necessary repair work
approx. 5 months after receipt of order
Please inquire about other vehicle models.
The etrofit conversion takes place in two phases:
1. Analysis phase First, the vehicles to be converted undergo a technical check to determine whether they have special technical features. In addition, the conditions under which the vehicle will be used later are analysed (route lengths, route profiles, circulation times, loading points, etc.).
Based on this, the exact design in terms of range, battery capacity and some other characteristics is determined. Depending on the effort involved, this analysis phase takes approx. 3-6 months.
2. Repowering The vehicle is brought to one of the partner workshops for the actual conversion. The conversion takes approx. 6 weeks (assuming availability of all components).
Battery capacity and range of each bus are individually adapted to the operator’s requirements. For public transport operation, ranges of 200-250km are usually sufficient and feasible.
Powertrain and battery Diesel engine, gearbox and drive axle are removed and an electric drive axle is installed. For city buses, we use an electric low-floor portal axle by ZF (AVE130). This axle relies on the concept of the integrated close-to-the-wheel drive with two liquid-cooled asynchronous motors.The battery modules are installed in the former engine compartment (additional capacity can be installed on the roof, if necessary).
Ancillary units All auxiliary components previously driven by the combustion engine (such as air conditioning, air compressor, pumps etc.) are removed and replaced by electrically powered components. An efficient control system, which takes over the interaction of these components, guarantees the most energy-efficient operation possible.
Driver’s position An additional display is installed at the driver’s seat, which provides the driver with information on the vehicle status, charge status and any errors.
In city buses, we use the AxTrax AVE electric portal axle from ZF: Each wheel is powered by a compact, high-speed, liquid-cooled asynchronous motor, which keeps the axle weight low. The maximum motor output is 250 kilowatts and a maximum torque of 22,000 Newton meters.
No separate engine or cardan shaft is required, reducing space requirements and vehicle weight. The resulting space can be used to install a more powerful battery or optimize the vehicle interior to carry more passengers. The AxTrax AVE does not require any special wheel components. This means that the tire-rim combinations used in conventional buses can also be used, as well as standard disc brakes. The brakes are installed in the same maintenance-friendly position as with the standard axles.
pepper has developed a modular lithium-ion battery module based on NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt). The individual module has a capacity of 60kWh, several of these modules can be connected in parallel to achieve the desired capacity.
We take over the road approval for you – the retrofitted vehicle will be delivered ready for operation and with road approval.
pepper has signed a preferred partnership with ZF: ZF supplies the powertrain components.
The conversion takes place in selected and qualified partner companies.
Send us a no-obligation inquiry – we will be happy to advise you on our repowering solutions.
pepper motion GmbH
Alemannenstrasse 14
85095 Denkendorf
Germany
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