The BITZER SE Group has optimized its compressor use in vehicle air-conditioning applications and begun manufacturing the ROADSTAR at the beginning of 2013.
Bus drivers should always keep a cool head while behind the wheel. And it goes without saying that passengers appreciate it when they can sit in an air-conditioned vehicle. That’s why bus air-conditioning is so important, particularly in regions with high temperatures.
BITZER has continued further optimising the capacity of its reciprocating compressors and begun manufacturing the ROADSTAR all around the world at the beginning of 2013, including in Brazil, China, Germany and the US. The strengthened drive gear and its innovative surface treatment increase the level of reliability and extend the service life of the compressor, even in demanding conditions. The integrated oil-collecting tank also simplifies maintenance and collection of the oil, which is isolated in very small amounts and required for lubrication and sealing as well as cooling the shaft seal.
Tests have confirmed the reliability of the compressor. Experts at the BITZER competence centre for reciprocating compressors in Schkeuditz, in Germany, sent more than 700 ROADSTAR compressors for field testing in Brazil, Europe, India, Iran, Mexico and the US. In different climates, the ROADSTAR covered over 96 million km in total by December 2011. Thanks to its optimisation drive, there wasn’t even a single failure.
The reliability and performance also impressed the customers. “We were using more than 160 compressors and were able to rely on all of them at all times, even in the extreme conditions of the Middle East,” emphasises Paul-Rainer Hoffman, General Manager of Spheros Middle East, an established manufacturer of bus air-conditioning systems.
That’s why the ROADSTAR will also be participating in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi – it’s already demonstrating its reliability in more than 400 buses. Whether in big cities, or forests of Brazil or the deserts of the UAE, the ROADSTAR ensures pleasant temperatures at all times.
A cut-away model of the new reciprocating compressor will be available for viewing at the BITZER trade fair stand (Stand 110) at Busworld in Kortrijk. The ROADSTAR four and six-cylinder compressors are available with various displacements, ranging from 400 to 970 cubic cm.