Celebrating 15 Years of AC Drives in Tow Tractors

<H1>Herzlich Willkommen bei VOLK Fahrzeugbau GmbH!<H1> Fahrersitzwagen und Fahrersitzschlepper mit Elektro-, Diesel-, Hybrid- und Treibgasantrieb f�r den Einsatz in der Industrie, auf Flugh�fen und im kommunalen Bereich.


	Celebrating 15 years of AC drives

in tow tractors

Bad Waldsee, 17.12.2010 – In the beginning it had something of a moody diva about it: the superior, almost playful way it impressed everyone with its performance seemed downright uncanny. It was said to be indescrib-
ably temperamental and hot-blooded, its boisterous energy, however, was often very hard to control. Its com-
plex character gave a good many people who had to deal with it quite a few headaches and sleepless nights.

However this first impression was deceptive: whoever worked with it a lot was quickly impressed by its inner attributes, but they probably never guessed from its powerful and agile performance how economical and practical it is. What’s more, they found it to be unbeliev-
ably smooth, sensitive and very responsive.

Of course we are not talking about an eccentric film star but about rotary current technology. And VOLK was one of the first to recognize its full potential. In 1995, exactly 15 years ago, VOLK was the first tow tractor manufacturer




	AC technology pays off – AC drives require little maintenance and are very durable

in Germany to use three-phase drives. Although other manufacturers continued to use the established direct current drive to some extent for many years, it can be said in retrospect that this step ushered in the beginning of a new era.

“The advantages of this new technology were so convincing at the time that despite some initial setbacks, we con-
tinued to test this complex technology until we mastered it. A short time later, we equipped our entire product range with rotary current,” is how VOLK Managing Director Lutz Baur explains his decision to use the AC technology at that time.




	The new flagship ZAPI ACE 5 with a maximum capacity of 1,000 amperes – In 2009 VOLK was the first tow tractor manufacturer in the world to use the ACE 5 in a series-production vehicle

In fact rotary current technology has become indispen-
sable today due to its many advantages in industrial and airport vehicles. Three-phase motors are practically maintenance-free because current is not transmitted via carbon brushes but electromagnetically and therefore without contact. Because the driving direction is changed electronically, no direction contacts are required. There-
fore it is not necessary to replace worn carbon brushes and contactors.

Because three-phase motors can be controlled more precisely, they enable very smooth driving. Changes in driving direction can also be performed more smoothly than with conventional direct current motors. This is especially important because the application conditions of internal transport jobs frequently require precise maneuvering in confined spaces.

Despite their great sensitivity which everyone notices the first time they drive an AC vehicle, three-phase drives are

generally more powerful and agile than direct current drives. They have a better torque characteristic with a virtually constant torque over a wide speed range and a comparably low torque decrease at high speeds, enabling higher driving speeds and extremely dynamic acceleration.

Real divas often keep their age a secret; however we can rightly celebrate the milestone anniversary of AC techno-
logy, because after 15 years we have several million hours of experience in operating three-phase drives. This uni-
que experience serves the continuous development of our products every day. So it was not without good reason
that in 2009 we were the first towing vehicle manufacturer in the world to install the new ZAPI ACE 5 inverter with a maximum current of up to 1.000 amperes, launching our company into a totally new performance class.


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