Forsee Power takes over Holiwatt (specialist in rail energy storage and fast charging)

Forsee Power announces the takeover of Holiwatt (formerly Centum Adetel Transportation), a specialist in rail energy storage and fast charging systems established in Ecully, near Lyon.  This acquisition strengthens Forsee Power’s position on the rail market and provides the French company with a range of chargers and energy converters for a wider range of applications.

The energy conversion and trackside fast charging systems will also be deployed in the marine and commercial vehicle markets where Forsee Power is present, the company points out.

Forsee Power has recently unveiled the its extra-thin batteries from the new SLIM offer, announced in early 2021. Fist customer? Wrightbus. Forsee Power has already secured battery supply contracts with bus manufacturers including CNH (Iveco, Heuliez), Alstom (Aptis) – before the project was halted -, CaetanoBus and the already mentioned Wrightbus.

Forsee Power – Holiwatt: smart batteries for rail sector

Smart batteries are essential to rail greening projects and adapt to all given applications and environments: catenary-free trams, 100% battery trains, hybrid trains (diesel and batteries), hydrogen trains (fuel cell and batteries). They limit emissions, considerably reduce infrastructure costs, while preserving the natural landscape.

Forsee Power is already present on the rail market with a range of high-power and / or high-energy batteries. The group is supporting the French manufacturer Alstom in the hybridization of the TER passenger train and SOCOFER, a manufacturer of maintenance locomotives. Holiwatt has been supplying power management products and systems to the rail market (tramways, trains) for more than 20 years and has a fleet of more than 3,000 on-board and trackside equipment in operation.

Holiwatt’s takeover provides Forsee Power with advanced technologies and the skills of 37 people in the areas of systems engineering, electronics, software, power, mechanics, thermal and modeling.

By merging the new team with its existing specialized workforce, Forsee Power will be able to form a rail hub based on the R&D center and the Holiwatt test laboratory established in Ecully, France and which will remain in the Rhône Alpes Auvergne region, the R&D center located at the headquarters of Forsee Power in Paris and the test laboratory and production site of Forsee Power located in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou in France.

Rail sector and decarbonization

“Decarbonizing rail transport will play a key role in achieving climate ambitions such as Fit-for-55 announced last week by the European Commission. Forsee Power has identified the rail transport sector as a strategic development area. This acquisition will therefore enable the Group to accelerate the roll out of our plan by offering an integrated range of highly innovative battery and charging systems to our customers in the railway sector” explains Christophe Gurtner, Chairman and CEO of Forsee Power.

“I am delighted with this takeover by Forsee Power, which allows us to maintain and develop in France an expertise of more than 20 years. Joining Forsee Power is a great opportunity for Holiwatt’s teams to join an international and multi-market leader” said Olivier Pequet, former President of Holiwatt, who will now head the rail hub of Forsee Power.