• Kiepe Electric to supply traction converters and brake resistors for 32 bi directional high-floor light rail vehicles to rail vehicle manufacturer CAF 
• Components from Kiepe Electric to be delivered from the Q3 2024 onwards 
• Modular design allows the traction converters to be adapted to special electrical  and mechanical specification.

Kiepe Electric, Düsseldorf, has received an order from  Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) to supply traction equipment for 32  new bi-directional high-floor light rail vehicles (LRV). The new LRV’s will enter service  in Bonn, Germany. In recent years, CAF has established itself as a manufacturer of  modern LRV’s for major German cities and has repeatedly relied on traction  technology from Kiepe Electric, for example in Essen and Hanover projects. 

Kiepe Electric GmbH is supplying two traction converters and brake resistors each for 32 light  rail vehicles from CAF. The components for the vehicles from the rail vehicle manufacturer  are to be delivered with the third quarter of 2024, and the first LRV is to commence regular  service in Bonn in 2026. The owners of 16 LRV’s each are Stadtwerke Bonn Verkehrs GmbH  (SWBV) and Elektrische Bahnen der Stadt Bonn und des Rhein-Sieg-Kreises GmbH (SSB).  The transport companies wish to take customers along on the journey to a transport  turnaround with modern local public transport – in this case with light rail. This counts towards  the goal of climate neutrality for Bonn by 2035. 

Alexander Ketterl, Managing Director of Kiepe Electric GmbH, is pleased about the market  acceptance of the proven converter technology: “Our successful business partnership with  CAF in the past years is now continuing in Bonn. This is a great recognition of our  performance and shows that our highly efficient and energy-saving drive technology and  corresponding system know-how are convincing in rail projects. We approach the renewed  cooperation with high motivation.” Other vehicle manufacturers also use drive technology  from Kiepe Electric, for example in current light rail projects in Cologne and Dortmund. 

Kiepe Electric and Bonn have a shared public transport history: Light rail vehicles equipped  with Kiepe technology were already running through the former West German capital in the  1970s and continue to do so today. The high-floor LRV’s delivered in 2003 are currently  present. Of course, Kiepe technology has evolved: The latest generation of traction  converters from Kiepe Electric impresses with its modular design, which can be adapted to  special electrical and mechanical specifications. This also applies to the application of the  converters on high-floor light rail vehicle types. Here, strict requirements must be met  regarding the weight management of the traction converters. 

Knorr-Bremse (ISIN: DE000KBX1006, ticker symbol: KBX) is the global market leader for braking  systems and a leading provider of other systems for rail and commercial vehicles. Knorr-Bremse’s  products make a decisive contribution to greater safety and energy efficiency on rail tracks and roads  around the world. Some 32,600 employees at over 100 sites in more than 30 countries use their  competence and motivation to satisfy customers worldwide with products and services. In 2022, Knorr 

Bremse’s two divisions together generated global revenues of EUR 7.1 billion. For more than 115  years, the company has been the industry innovator, driving developments in mobility and  transportation technologies with an edge in connected system solutions. Knorr-Bremse is one of  Germany’s most successful industrial companies and profits from the key global megatrends:  Urbanization, Sustainability, Digitalization and Mobility. 

Knorr-Bremse subsidiary Kiepe Electric, based in Düsseldorf, Germany, is a globally active supplier  of electrical systems to the world’s leading rail vehicle and bus manufacturers. The company offers  efficient solutions and ecologically sustainable concepts for low-emission public transportation,  including eco-friendly electrical equipment for light rail vehicles, metros, regional rail networks and  electric buses fitted with In Motion Charging (IMC) and High Power Charging (HPC) systems. 

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