2020 was an intense and challenging year. Together we have mastered it. I would like to thank you all for your outstanding commitment and dedication.

I do not take it for granted and I am proud to have such employees!

As a thank you for your commitment this year, a jar of honey is waiting for each of you in the DXTractor showroom. If you have the opportunity, you can pick up the gift directly there.

Enjoy!

11.12.2020, MK

Good to know:

Honey not only tastes good, it also strengthens the immune system and has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. Honey from the region you live in is especially healthy for your body.

The honey comes from Fabrizio and Charlotte Vicentini-Bürgi. They own several bee colonies in Freienstein and Pfungen. Beekeeping is a hobby. The whole family helps with the honey harvest. So Flurin also had to take a few bee stings for the jars.

Since the first issue of our "in-house newspaper", an interview with a staff member has appeared in every issue, marked with the abbreviation ERM. Who writes these portraits? It is Erza Mehmeti, our first-year apprentice.

Erza started her apprenticeship as a commercial clerk EFZ profile E at KYBURZ in August 2020. Her first tasks consisted of entering new addresses in Pachi and sending brochures to private customers. In the meantime, she answers the phones, gives information or forwards the calls. She also sorts and distributes incoming letter post and is responsible for ordering office supplies. And then she writes portraits!

"I like doing these interviews," Erza says. We say, "She does it very well too!"

"I like to meet the staff in person, so I can better translate what they say." She manages to formulate in a lively and correct language well. This is not a matter of course, as Erza mainly spoke Albanian as a child. Then, with school, German and Swiss German became important, which she speaks not only at work but now also in the family. We are looking forward to many more portraits of ERM.

11.12.2020, DH

Without electricity in the batteries, nothing works in electric vehicles! The charger is the central component for charging the batteries. The alternating current from the household socket (type 13) with a voltage of 230 volts is converted into direct current in the charger. The unit can output a charging voltage in the range 16.8 - 32 volts.

Most of KYBURZ Switzerland's new three-wheeled vehicles are now fitted with the FCA640 charger from the supplier FERON in Glarus. A business relationship that has lasted well over ten years. The device, which consists mainly of an aluminium housing and built-in electronics, is produced in Slovakia.

In the software of the charger, the charging characteristic is programmed for the specific battery type (in our case lithium iron phosphate). It regulates the charging current (up to 25 amps) to the batteries based on the measured voltage of the cells. Other parameters, such as the battery temperature or the time of the start of charging, are stored. The charging history can be read out with a software tool for better analysis and troubleshooting. The FCA 640 also communicates via CAN bus with the Curtis controller, the electronic control system for KYBURZ vehicles.

Vehicles with a long range have larger battery cells, but also more cells in terms of number. Up to three FCA640 work in parallel in certain KYBURZ DXCargos, for example, so that the charging time is kept within limits. Caution: This is when the electricity really flows and the house installation needs an appropriate fuse! Type 23 plugs are then a prerequisite.

10.12.2020/DH

As a manufacturer of electrically powered vehicles, we are obliged as a company to carry out an electromagnetic compatibility test (EMC test for short).

Our vehicles have the ability to transmit and capture electromagnetic waves. As a result, these can influence and interfere with the operation of other road users or can themselves be disturbed by the waves of neighbouring systems. This can lead to undesired peculiarities in the electromagnetic environment and thus endanger safety.

For EMC testing, the following two types of interference are distinguished. On the one hand, conducted interference, which can occur when charging the batteries. On the other hand, disturbances caused by electric and magnetic fields, which are generated, for example, by the motor controls we use.

EMC testing Laboratory environment

EMC measurements are almost always carried out in shielded and partially absorbing chambers in order to prevent that during tests

• the high field strengths generated in the chamber do not escape into the environment;
• fields from the environment (radio transmitters, radio interference) penetrate from the outside to the inside and falsify the measurement result there;
• people in the vicinity of the DUT are endangered by the high-frequency field;
• people in the vicinity of the test object falsify the measurement result by their presence (consistency of the human body).

17.11.2020, HPE

Do you have questions about EMC testing? Then contact Hans-Peter Erni directly.

Here you will find an excerpt from the test protocol:

Erza Mehmeti: How long have you been with KYBURZ?

Nishanthan Yogeswaran: I have been with KYBURZ since August 2016.

Erza: What are your activities?

Nishi: I completed my apprenticeship here as a production mechanic. After that, I worked as an employee in the service department. Since October 2019, I have been at 2ndLife and support Luca as production manager. I distribute the work for the employees and do the final inspection of the vehicles. I check the vehicles that come back after seven years and look at each one to see if we can recondition it or dispose of it. I register all the vehicles in Pachi so that people know they are with us. I also support the staff if they have questions or get stuck. I also take over Luca's work during his absence.

Erza: What is your typical daily routine?

Nishi: When I arrive in the morning, I first distribute the work for the staff. Then I do the office work. This includes, for example, entering the vehicles sold last week in Pachi. When a vehicle has been sold, I enter in Pachi which parts have been used. This way we can make an internal calculation and know how much the reconditioning will cost. Then I also answer e-mails and always support my staff. Between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. I go home.

Erza: What do you like? What do you like less?

Nishi: I like everything, especially the teamwork. I also like that I have Luca's trust. What I don't like so much at the moment is that we don't spend much time with other departments because of the current Corona situation.

Erza: What do you like to do in your free time?

Nishi: In my free time I like to go to the gym. Before Corona, I used to go to the gym regularly three times a week, but not so much now. I like to prepare shishas and then smoke them with my friends. I also like to make cocktails and shishas for birthday parties or events.

04.12.2020, ERM

The eTrolley 7+1 was specially developed according to the requirements of Deutsche Post. A vehicle was required that offers space for 7 boxes with letter post and one box with the personal belongings of the delivery person. This is how the name "7+1" came about (7 boxes with letter post, one box with personal items). All boxes must be lockable. The first prototype of the eTrolley 7+1 was built in 2014. Since then, over 120 eTrolley 7+1 have rolled off the production line. Already during the development and still today, the main people responsible for this vehicle are Rolf Menzi and Wilfried Hahn.

The vehicle is so popular that Deutsche Post AG has chosen the product as a standard work tool. The eTrolley 7+1 and KYBURZ have fulfilled all requirements regarding safety and reliability according to the strict requirements of the Deutsche Post.

We purchase the eTrolley in pre-assembled modules. The trolleys are assembled very efficiently in our production. Our production takes less than 2 hours to assemble and test an eTrolley.

The development

As with any of our products, technology does not stop after the first production. We are always developing our products further. For example, we have steadily increased the available battery capacity in the eTrolley over the past few years. In a regular model maintenance meeting, all failures of the vehicle are analysed. Based on this analysis, developments for product improvement are initiated.

11.12.2020, FAS

Do you have any further questions? Wilfried Hahn and Rolf Menzi will be happy to provide information:

After about 18 months of operation, the Fleet Team, together with Planzer Technik, made an analysis of the data quality and checked the data of each individual vehicle. This not only examined whether the devices were still working, but also whether they were providing the data expected for the vehicle type and the type of operation. The Fleet achieved a brilliant performance. With a stock of 1,876 vehicles, about 10 vehicles are replaced per week, i.e. the fleet box is removed, reconfigured and installed in the new vehicle.  For the past 18 months, this has resulted in 561 additional installations. During operation, only 3 units failed, and that was due to water damage or mechanical damage - i.e. through no fault of their own.

An additional difficulty for high data quality is that Planzer operates a very heterogeneous vehicle fleet with all common truck and delivery van brands. The large variety of models places high demands on configuration management and installation quality. The good result is all the more testimony to the high quality of our products and the excellent cooperation between the teams from PLANZER Technik and KYBURZ.

11.12.2020, HP

Would you like to learn more about our customer Planzer?