Keolis, Iveco Bus and Forsee Power Join Forces to Optimise the Performance of Batteries for Electric Buses
On 21 September 2022, Keolis, Iveco Bus and Forsee Power signed a partnership agreement to improve knowledge of how electric bus batteries function by pooling their own specific expertise. The goal is to gain tighter control over the ageing of batteries and to optimise the use of these assets, which constitute a central technical and economic challenge in electric bus
The first trials will take place in the public transport network in Aix-en-Provence, in south-eastern France (Aixenbus), which has a fleet of 41 electric buses.
This partnership reaffirms the commitment of the three stakeholders to the energy transition.
“This partnership marks an important step for Keolis Group in improving our knowledge of batteries. The fleet and the network in Aix-en-Provence offer us the opportunity to conduct a life-sized experiment that will enable us to monitor the equipment over time, in different seasons and conditions in the field. I would like to thank our public transport authority partner, the Métropole Aix Marseille Provence, who is supporting us in this project.
“The goal is to better our understanding of batteries, then to control the battery ageing process, in order to improve their reliability, reduce risks and, if possible, extend their lifespan. By sharing their knowledge, the partners will be able to assess the actual performance of the batteries in service, and the factors that affect their lifespan, more precisely. This information will be fundamental for predictive maintenance and the reduction of energy consumption. These results will obviously be shared with the public transport authority.”
“This agreement represents a significant development for our electric mobility offer. The data exchanges with our E-WAY by HEULIEZ buses provide additional input for the analyses we already conduct as part of our IVECO ON connected services, which are designed to meet the main requirements of public transport and operators for proactive maintenance and the optimisation of fleet management.”
“We are pleased to be part of this partnership with Keolis and Iveco Bus, which will enable a real-life case study of a sizeable fleet of 41 electric buses on the Aixenbus network. As the leader in battery systems for buses in Europe, with 1,500 equipped buses, Forsee Power has teams of experienced experts to analyse the data with its new smart charging service.
“The data sent from the E-WAY by HEULIEZ electric buses will enable our engineers to propose good battery management practices that will optimise their use with the charging infrastructure, thereby optimising their service life. The purpose of this initiative is to further reduce costs and the environmental footprint of electric buses, which are already very competitive in comparison with internal combustion engines.”
Implementation on the Aix-en-Provence Public Transport Network
Sustainable mobility, and electric mobility in particular, which are essential levers of action against global warming, raise numerous challenges, including those related to a better understanding of the factors that influence the operation and ageing of batteries.
This is the reason why Keolis, Iveco Bus and Forsee Power decided to team up in a partnership to examine the monitoring of the lifespan and the use of the batteries installed in the electric vehicles operated by Keolis’ Pays d’Aix subsidiary. Both the charging phase in the depot and commercial operation will come under close scrutiny. These long-term studies will cover several lines of the transport network in order to take the different influential factors into consideration (topography, revenue speed, driving style, seasonality, etc.).
This partnership will enable public transport authorities to optimise the management of their assets (vehicle fleets, facilities, etc.) and to extend the lifespan of the batteries.
Reaffirmed Commitment of the Three Partners to the Energy Transition
The first phase of this partnership, which is already in progress, consists mainly of sharing knowledge in order to assign the members to their respective fields of expertise.
Then, the second phase, which will last until the end of 2022, will involve a diagnostic of the current situation and the identification of opportunities for optimisation.
A new phase will start in 2023. In this phase, the strategies intended to optimise the use and operation of the electric vehicles will be implemented, in order to slow down the battery ageing process and to make energy savings in particular.
Depending on the results achieved, this collaboration may be extended to other urban transport networks operated by Keolis.
This article was originally published by Forsee Power.
