Author: cgiuffrida

The UITP (International Association of Public Transport) has recently published a comprehensive checklist for the electrification of bus fleets within a working group. This checklist provides a valuable resource for public transport operators looking to convert their bus fleets to electric vehicles.

The importance of IT systems

The electrification of buses requires the introduction of new IT systems: Depots are rebuilt and routes analyzed to make them suitable for electric buses. IT systems also need to be updated to ensure efficient and smooth operation. These IT systems cover a wide range of functions, from charge planning and charge management to integration with existing IT infrastructures. These will also need to be updated to support the specific requirements of electric vehicles.

Step by step to your bus electrification

Electrification brings significant changes and setting up new and updating existing IT systems is an essential part of any bus electrification project. The new checklist outlines the key steps and considerations that operators need to take into account on their journey to introducing and operating electric bus fleets. It is designed to help keep track of the various aspects of IT systems throughout their lifecycle – from early requirements analysis through to operation and maintenance of the systems.

“It was an honor to be part of this working group. This checklist provides transportation companies with the tools and information they need to make their projects efficient and sustainable. I particularly enjoyed the exchange on charging management systems, standard interfaces and battery analysis, where I was able to contribute the most”.

Maximilian Haag, Head of Sales Public Transport, CarMedialab

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Do you have any questions or would you like more information on charge management, battery analysis or standards and interfaces? Simply get in touch with us. Our Public Transport sales team will be at your disposal.

IT-Trans, the international conference and trade fair for public transport, took place in Karlsruhe from May 14 to 16, 2024. Organized in collaboration with the UITP (International Association for Public Transport), the event attracted numerous experts and companies from the industry.

Charge management system for e-buses

The CarMedialab sales and marketing team were there to present the charge management system MOBILEcharge for e-buses and to exchange ideas with customers. Many interesting discussions were held with companies from the sector, customers, new transport companies and partners. MOBILEcharge, the intelligent system for charging e-buses, was met with great interest and impressed visitors with its latest functions and developments. The latest features, such as the Real Time Power Meter, were demonstrated live in the system for the first time.

Presentation “Checklist for transport companies”

The presentation by Leandro Campo, Sales Manager, was a particular highlight. Under the title “Checklist for transport companies: Introducing IT systems for electric bus fleets”, he explained important aspects of standard interfaces such as VDV 261 and VDV 463 and interoperability in the strategic charging of e-buses.

INIT as the world’s leading provider

The entire INIT Group presented its comprehensive IT solutions for public transportation. As the world’s leading provider, INIT covers a broad spectrum, including planning and scheduling, ticketing and fare management, operations control and passenger information as well as analysis and optimization. This makes INIT the only provider in the world that covers all operational tasks of transport companies. As one of the sponsors of IT-Trans, the company was able to further underline its presence at the trade fair. CarMedialab is a subsidiary of INIT and is glad about the great cooperation.

This was the IT-Trans

IT-Trans 2024 was an excellent opportunity to present CarMedialab’s products and solutions to an international audience and make valuable contacts. We would like to thank all visitors, colleagues and helpers and look forward to future projects and collaborations. We are excited about further trade fairs as well as future developments and innovations in the field of public transportation.

In the era of e-mobility, an efficient and reliable charging infrastructure is crucial for the smooth operation of transport operators. It is important to understand the challenges associated with the digital networking of charging points – especially in critical situations. This is why we have developed the Local Controller – a new, central component in the charge management system MOBILEcharge. It guarantees security and continuity, even if the worst-case scenario should occur and the charging stations are offline.

What is the Local Controller?

The Local Controller is a robust hardware that is connected directly on site via plug and play. This box plays a crucial role in the charge management system by forming the local intelligence that smoothly bridges the connection even if the main connection to the server fails. You are therefore on the safe side in the event of network problems or cyber attacks.

How does the Local Controller work?

1. Independent charging processes: 

The Local Controller ensures that charging processes can continue regardless of the internet connection. Even in the event of a server failure or network problems, the Local Controller continues to enable the intelligent charging of your e-buses.

2. Substation monitoring: 

Substation monitoring is essential for maintaining grid stability. The Local Controller reads data from individual substations and enables notifications in case of faults as well as an evaluation of energy flows.

3. Automatic preconditioning: 

The Local Controller supports the preparation of e-buses in accordance to VDV 261 before they deploy. The device provides the technical requirements for the VDV 261 standard if these are not available.

Why is the Local Controller important for your charging management?

The local controller gives you additional security through redundancy. Critical charging and monitoring functions can be carried out locally thanks to the hardware. This increases the reliability of the entire system. In times when reliability is increasingly becoming a key factor, the Local Controller provides essential protection for you, your employees and passengers against unforeseeable events such as server failures, network problems or cyberattacks.

For further information or any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Get in touch with Maurice Hausner, Sales Manager Public Transport and stay tuned for the latest developments in the charge management system MOBILEcharge.

In the world of electromobility, a reliable and efficient charging infrastructure is the key to smooth operations. To further optimize the efficiency of your bus operation, we are constantly developing our Charge Management System. Therefore, we would like to introduce the Maintenance Mode in MOBILEcharge. This function was specially developed to ensure the technical operation of the charging infrastructure even during necessary maintenance work without hindering operations.

How the Maintenance Mode works
The new Maintenance Mode increases the control over your charging infrastructure. It can be activated manually or time-controlled to put a charging station into maintenance mode. While a charging station is in Maintenance Mode, it remains connected to the system but is temporarily removed from planning and use. This is particularly beneficial when maintenance work needs to be carried out on a charging station, as it temporarily removes the charging stations from charge management control without affecting the rest of the infrastructure.

Benefits of the Maintenance Mode
The implementation of the Maintenance Mode in MOBILEcharge brings a number of benefits that are directly tailored to the needs and requirements of our customers:

1. Reliability
By allowing maintenance work to be carried out without disrupting operations, the Maintenance Mode guarantees the reliable technical operation of the charging infrastructure.

2. Operational continuity
The smooth running of operations is not affected by the temporary removal of charging stations from the scheme. This ensures that operations continue seamlessly even during maintenance work.

3. Predictability of unavailability
The unavailability of charging points becomes predictable and therefore plannable. This makes it easier to reschedule and optimize available resources.

4. Efficiency
By making charging station outages plannable, the Maintenance Mode enables efficient distribution of charging capacity across the available charging stations, similar to the preparation and rescheduling of a vehicle fleet.

The Maintenance Mode not only ensures a more reliable charging infrastructure, but also optimized resource utilization and operational continuity. For more information about this and other functionalities in the Charge Management System MOBILEcharge, visit our website or contact our team.

Are you already familiar with the Real Time Power Meter in the charge management system? The entire energy consumption of your bus depot is visualized directly in the dashboard. This allows you to monitor and control your requirements in real time.

The key functions:

• Real-time display of power and total consumption of the bus depot
• Individual limit setting to control the energy budget
• Total daily and weekly consumption at a glance
• Reserved power for offline charging stations to ensure good capacity utilization and reliable availability

Limiting energy consumption in your bus depot:

Your benefit:

• Complete control and overview of energy consumption and depot utilization
• Cost control through compliance with the specified energy limit
• Fast decision-making thanks to the central display of important KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in the dashboard

The Real Time Power Meter allows you to monitor your energy consumption in a similar way as you track your fuel consumption when driving. With this tool, you not only keep costs under control, but also actively contribute to a more sustainable use of energy.

Interested in more information? Do not hesitate to contact Leandro Campo.

Efficiency and clarity in the charge management are crucial. This is exactly what the Notification Center combines as a new feature in MOBILEcharge. This function was developed to simplify the operation of e-buses. It ensures that relevant messages quickly reach the responsible person in your transport company.

The new feature will provide improved operational efficiency and ultimately an enhanced quality of service. To see the Notification Center and more of our charge management features live, please contact our team: contact_pt@carmedialab.com.

Thanks to the new Power Boost Button, electric buses can be reliably charged and be ready to go even during unexpected changes to the schedule. This feature is a real game changer for anyone who needs to react quickly and flexibly in case of unforeseeable situations such as rail replacement services.

What is the Power Boost Button?
The Power Boost Button is a new function in the MOBILEcharge charge management system that makes it possible to give vehicles priority charging when required. With a single click, an electric bus can be prioritized for faster charging. This is ideal if you urgently need a bus, for example in case of unforeseen events such as traffic jams or other major occasions such as demonstrations or concerts.

Prioritization without neglecting other charging processes
The special aspect of the Power Boost Button is that it enables prioritization without neglecting other charging processes. Thanks to the clever use of energy reserves, other charging processes are not affected. The charging plan always has priority, but the Boost Button allows you to react flexibly in urgent cases.

How does the Power Boost Button work?
The operator can press the button in the charging station monitor. The system allocates any available residual energy to the vehicle being boosted. If no energy is available, the system will automatically reassess and adjust the charging priorities.

Multiple boost possible
The Power Boost Button can be used for several electric buses at the same time. This is particularly useful in situations such as the use of rail replacement services.

Additional interesting features that our charge management system has to offer can be found here: https://www.carmedialab.com/de/public-transport/charge-management/

At CarMedialab, we are proud to be a leading player in electromobility, especially when it comes to public transportation. In this context, CarMedialab’s charge management software was recently presented by Mobility Portal Europe.

In the interview, founder and Managing Director Heiko Bauer explains the importance of this system in today’s world. “With MOBILEcharge, we have created a solution that not only monitors the charging process, but also forecasts energy requirements and automatically adjusts charging plans.” This means a considerable improvement in operational processes, as the vehicles are always available on time and optimally charged.

A key feature of MOBILEcharge is its ability to work with systems from different manufacturers, which ensures broad applicability. The function of preconditioning the battery and cabin temperature is also particularly noteworthy. This extends the battery life and improves the passenger experience.

This type of technology will not only be essential for the future of urban mobility, but will also help to reduce the ecological footprint. Read the full article here: https://mobilityportal.eu/carmedialab-wsmart-charge-ebus/