Kiepe Electric partners with BMZ for U.S. retrofit project
By Luke Willetts - 3rd April 2025
Kiepe retrofitted bus
USA / Germany – Last year T&BB brought you the news that Kiepe Electric GmbH* of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, a specialist in electric traction equipment had been contracted by U.S. public transport operator King County Metro in Seattle to upgrade the battery capacity of its electric trolleybus fleet. Earlier this year, Kiepe announced that its U.S. engineering team was working with German battery manufacturer, the BMZ Group to customise its MAGNUS+ battery to fit with its systems to be used in these buses. According to Kiepe, this system can be used in both new and retrofitted buses. Several pilot buses equipped with this technology are currently operational in Washington and California. This partnership expands BMZ’s presence in the North American market.
*In February this year, Knorr-Bremse AG announced that it had sold a majority stake in Kiepe Electric to Heramba GmbH (of Heramba Holdings Inc). Knorr-Bremse will retain 15% equity in the company and has committed to remaining a strategic partner.
