Loveland, Colorado – Lightning Hybrids, designer and manufacturer of hydraulic brake regeneration systems for medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles, has been awarded a full U.S. utility patent for the fourth generation of its parallel hybrid system.
“This patent award illustrates not only our innovation, but also our efforts to find new opportunities in an area historically dominated by large companies,” says Tim Reeser, Lightning Hybrids president and co-founder.
The patent is specifically for a hydraulic regeneration apparatus. The regeneration apparatus or hybrid system, which the patent grants exclusive rights and inventor status to Lightning Hybrids, uses hydraulic pumps and accumulators to capture braking energy and regenerate it for accelerating a vehicle.
Dan Johnson, Lightning Hybrids co-founder and CTO who co-invented the new patented system with senior controls engineer, Jonathan Reynolds, says the new patent built on previous generations and focused on making the system more efficient.
“Eliminating a lot of the parts in the system was a big goal,” Johnson says. “By doing that, we were able to dramatically increase the efficiencies of the system. The higher the efficiency, the more we can decrease emissions and increase fuel savings.”
Johnson said a primary goal for the new patent was making the system lighter by using more aluminum in its construction and by having fewer parts.
Source: Lightning Hybrids