Mass Transit - 25

ro-emission fleets as more government mandates come into effect.
He added, "As an agency's
electric fleet expands, the aim of
eMOBILE-PLAN is to determine
how many vehicles and charging
stations are required for each
strategy and locate the best position to place the stations."

Real-time data

New Flyer of America Inc., has
more than five decades of experience manufacturing zero-emission buses. In January 2019, New
Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™
was launched to "support mobility projects from start to finish and
focus on energy management optimization as well as infrastructure planning and development."
Not only does New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions provide
optimized energy management
strategies but it can provide support throughout the entire design,
installation and testing process to
"ensure safe, reliable and cost-effective infrastructure projects."
Once an electric fleet has
been established, David Warren,
director, sustainable transportation, says access to real-time data
is a key factor to a program's continued success.
"Real-time data can make the
difference between a good versus
great electric bus program, and
harnessing data and performance
metrics is key to efficient management and energy conservation,"

explained Warren. "New Flyer's
over-the-air analytics dashboard,
Connect 360™, is powered by its
New Flyer Connect® technology
and offers insight into the operation, charging and maintenance
needs for new battery-electric
buses. Key business analytics
provided include battery state-ofcharge, outside air temperature
trends, GPS location and average
speeds, HVAC energy consumption per mile, regenerative braking, range achieved and remaining
and energy consumption (kWh/
mile). Benefits of Connect 360™
business analytics provide operators additional range capability
with ideal driver performance,
decision-making information to
optimize charging strategies and
intelligence on how to preserve battery energy throughout the day; all
resulting in reduced operating cost
and maximum fleet utilization."
Warren says that with the
continued transition to zero-emission fleets, the focus has
shifted to buses that can meet
longer range requirements, such
as those traveling more than 150
miles without recharging.
"These buses will need more
than 400 kWh battery packs, utilize more powerful depot chargers to reduce charging time
and employ smart chargers that
use software to optimize the
charging strategy and reduce
infrastructure and energy costs,"
said Warren.

"Real-

time data
can make the
difference
between a
good versus
great electric
bus program,
and harnessing
data and
performance
metrics is key
to efficient
management
and energy
conservation
-DAVID
WARREN,
director,
New Flyer

INIT'S eMOBILEPLAN as a
planning and
simulation tool
that allows
transit agencies
and OEM's
to simulate
and optimize
numerous
deployment
block scenarios.

INIT

To help transit agencies transition their bus fleets to zero emission, New Flyer opened its Vehicle
Innovation Center (VIC), where
visitors interact with learning exhibits, classroom programs and
hands-on bus demonstrations.
Part of the VIC's program includes
electric fleet planning, management and maintenance essentials.
The facility also consists of a fullsize transit bus simulator to help
drivers learn to pilot an electric
bus in a manner that increases
range by up to 20 percent with the
use of regenerative braking.
"The transition toward electric
buses is not a revolution. It's an
evolution requiring careful time
and consideration that effectively
charts the course of integration to
existing fleets, and does so with
prudent spending of taxpayer
dollars," said Warren. "For New
Flyer, it is no longer just about the
bus - it's about providing complete, connected and sustainable
mobility solutions."

Optimized scheduling

Optibus Ltd., notes that transitioning to an electric bus fleet
can bring new challenges to transit planning and scheduling. The
company specifically mentions the
concern surrounding peak vehicle
requirements as buses temporarily
rotate out of service to charge.
"Schedulers must strategize
when and where to charge to
avoid the need for extra diesel
buses," explained Amos Haggiag,
co-founder and CEO of Optibus.
Haggiag also says the choice
between returning a bus to the
depot to charge or setting up
charging stops along routes can
be complicated. He says several
considerations play into when
and where a bus will be charged
such as whether a bus battery
will be brought to full charge or
only partial charge, can driver
breaks be scheduled to coincide
with charge times and can charge
times occur during low electricity-demand times.

JULY/AUGUST 2019 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit |

25
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