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The board of directors of Beglian transportation operator De Lijn has approved the implementation of an €11.2-million integrated charging and depot management system from German supplier PSI eBus. This software package will play a crucial role in steering the e-buses’ charging processes and all movements of all buses in their depots.
Against the framework of a sustainable Flanders, De Lijn will offer fully emission-free public transport by 2035. That means that about 2,100 buses and more than 50 depots under De Lijn’s own control need to be electrified.
The strong price increase of electricity over the last year underlines the importance of optimizing e- bus charging processes. In addition, Flanders will be moving towards a new price calculation method based on peak usage and the time of day when electricity is taken from the network. De Lijn has the advantage that its buses will be charged overnight, when electricity prices are at their lowest.
Another benefit of spreading e-bus charging over an entire night is that lower peak consumption enables a reduction of the electricity grid connection cost. Especially at larger depots, where 100 or more e-buses need to be charged, efficient manual charging methods are virtually impossible to manage.
The software package that has been approved by the board is of crucial importance to ensure that the e-buses can take to the road and can be charged at the De Lijn depots. The system determines at the end of each day which task it will be allocated the next day. This trip order enables the system to direct each e-bus to correct parking position, so that they can leave the depot in the correct order the next morning. The board of directors’ approval bring a step closer to implementing our sustainability targets.
—Lydia Peeters, Mobility and Public Works minister
In addition, the software will manage the entire charging process as cost efficiently as possible, starting from the SOC (State of Charge) on arrival and taking in account the next day’s battery requirements. The automated charging process will be initiated as soon as the driver connects the CCS2-plug at the right parking bay.
PSI eBus for De Lijn was the candidate supplier with the best financial offer.
Fleet electrification is more than buying buses—background systems are equally vital for success.
—Minister Peeters
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