Engine starter system saves on batteries

Engine manufacturer 7648 MTU, a division of Rolls Royce Power Systems, is trialling its Capacitor Power System (CaPoS) in three mining trucks operating in South Africa.

CaPoS is a maintenance-free starter system using super capacitors. The integration of two CaPoS modules on a mining truck equipped with an MTU 4000-series engine can be operated using four batteries instead of the usual eight. MTU claimed the service life of the remaining batteries has been extended five-fold, leading to reduced operating costs.