A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO ACCELERATE THE INTEGRATION OF ELECTRIC BUSES INTO EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

COSTART mitigates barriers to the implementation of electric buses into existing fleets. It addresses critical issues on different levels: vehicle components to extend the range and achieve high indoor thermal quality; vehicle operations in various geographies and traffic conditions; simulation and optimal fleet management; ownership, governance and business models.

Main Results
By applying components like advanced Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition (HVAC) systems in e-buses to meet passenger comfort requirements, COSTART has extended the range of e-buses without using fossil-based winter heating engines. The development and use of heat pump systems allow for true zero-emission e-buses throughout the seasons, even tested in arctic winter climate.

Through the monitoring and evaluation of e-buses in operations, COSTART has also developed improved components that support the Controller Area Network (CAN bus) for better communication between devices relating to the Energy Management System. A vehicle & fleet level analysis of grid-to-wheel energy consumption investigation for driving and climate control of e-bus fleet has been developed and tested. The result is a fleet assessment tool to guide authorities and operators while choosing a suitable fleet composition.

Finally, concerning large-scale implementations, battery buses with overnight depot charging tend to be an attractive and cost-effective solution on a mature bidding market for smaller and midsized cities.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: DE, NL, NO, SE, TR
Website: COSTART (fontys.nl)
Important Outcomes: Model for Thermal Management System

Cloud Your Bus

Zero Emission (ZE) buses in public transport bring new challenges and higher Operational and Capital Expenditures (Opex / Capex) as potential consequences. CYB modules drastically reduce ZE bus operations risks and costs, facilitating Return on Investment through access to live charging point data, driving style optimisation, energy usage forecasting and dynamic route planning.

Main Results
Capex (asset intensity) for bus operators is likely to be reduced by more than 10 % and Opex (running costs) by over 25 % when the CYB tools are implemented.

CYB presents a series of innovations designed to reduce both the Capex and Opex of ZE public transport operations, including: an ITxPT certified data gateway for e-buses; a data taxonomy and protocol for more than 10 different e-bus types; integration of charging infrastructure using Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) / Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocols; a Cloudbased data hub with documented Application Programming Interface (API) for data sharing; an energy usage prediction model that accurately forecasts battery level at end-destination shortly after commencing a route, and a series of online Software as a Service (SaaS) modules for managing ZE operations.

CYB has shown that creating both a taxonomy and a virtual protocol for e-bus data across makes and models is possible. This provides bus operators with flexibility and opens up for lower risk, multi-vendor procurement strategies. As the online data hub is designed to be open and collaborative in nature, additional ‘connected specialists’ are expected to join the CYB platform as partners. Similarly, the platform leaves open to bus operators and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) alike to implement their proprietary systems around the platform. The CYB eco-system platform will be further developed, and services expanded.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: ES, NL, TR
Website: www.cloudyourbus.com
Important Outcomes: ITxPT Hardware Prototype, API, FMS Hardware Add-Ons

E-TRACT

E-TRACT aims to integrate an innovative electric drive system into an existing 14 seats minibus and test the vehicle in real driving cycles. Alongside the tests, technical-economical evaluation to identify industrial feasibility and market potential were carried out.

Main Results
There were 41,000 minibuses units in Europe in 2018: 95 % used for public transport and 5 % for private transport. For the study, 10,000 minibuses were considered eligible for the retrofit. Today purchase an electric minibus costs about EUR 95,000, and adding the average operating cost of EUR 1,500 / year, in 10 years of use, the total cost of the vehicle amounts to around EUR 110,000. With the E-TRACT solution, the cost for the retrofit is about EUR 30,000 (without further operating costs), thus obtaining a 70 % reduction in costs compared to the purchase of a new vehicle.

The proposed solution is compliant with EU and has been assessed with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The areas of protection assessed are: (a) the global warming potential, (b) the global energy footprint, (c) the global water footprint, and (d) the global effect on human health.

From the economic point of view, the analyses show that the final cost of the electrification system allows profit margins between 20 and 30 % in each transformation phase for both kit manufacturers and installers. Furthermore, the materials costs will be continuously updated with periodical introduction of alternative less expensive components keeping overall performance improvement.

Duration: 24 months
Partner Countries: IT, PL, TR
Important Outcomes: Prototype Vehicle

Electric travelling – platform to support the implementation of electromobility in Smart Cities based on ICT applications

ELECTRIC TRAVELLING provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools to identify smart mobility solutions adapted to urban and suburban areas and ease the introduction of electric vehicles and required charging stations in the existing transport infrastructure, improving people’s awareness and participation in solving mobility environmental impacts.

Main Results
ELECTRIC TRAVELLING produced a set of combined tools (ETSys) to facilitate the integration of electric vehicles in urban and suburban mobility. The ETSys tool includes four modules:

• ETPlanner is a door-to-door travel planner with a routing optimiser ready for EVs and directed to promote the use of EVs.
• ETCharge is a module that supports charging infrastructure planning in cities by estimating the current demand of charging stations and forecasting future demands.
• ETSim is a multi-agent simulation module that allows the simulation of travelling people in selected areas.
• ETReport is a reporting module addressed to local authorities.

ELECTRIC TRAVELLING is a step forward in the state of the art because it extends current routing algorithms and travel planning tools focusing on e-mobility. It makes it possible to prioritise urban areas adapted to electric vehicles using a heuristic approach and develops a daily activity chain optimisation algorithm that includes chargers and implementation of Big Data to understand daily travel patterns and day-to-day fluctuations. The tools are open to independent Information Transport Systems inputs, are interactive and can be used EU-wide. An optimal allocation of charging stations is achieved.

Duration:30 months
Partner Countries: ES, HU, NL, PL
Website: www.electrictravelling.com
Case Study: Netherlands, Hungary, Poland

Electric Mobility as a Service

eMaaS combines innovative technology and new business models to create the conditions for the large-scale adoption of EVs. EV sharing services are connected to other eco-friendly mobility modes, optimising the total mobility chain. Standardised interfaces for eMaaS platforms are essential to exploit mobility data as a valuable service for operators and cities.

Main Results
Through an extensive market assessment, it was concluded that current efforts in the market neither emphasise sustainable (and thus electric) mobility enough, nor do they have exclusive integrated offers of these types of mobility.

eMaaS analysed several potential business models against the eMaaS project goals. Two models stood out: First, the use of vehicles of any operator, also known as “roaming”, from the App and environment of a single operator. Second, to use the data in the eMaaS eco-system in a value adding manner, without comprising end-user rights issues such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The use cases were split into two sub-categories: roaming and data sharing.

In order to establish an appropriate foundation for technical developments, various architecture representations have been created. A critical development for an open eMaaS eco-system supported by this project was the creation of the Transport Operator to Mobility Provider-Application Programming Interface (TOMP-API). This API has the goal of connecting Transport Operators with MaaS Providers in a standardised manner. The open nature of the standard supports an open eco-system. Further results of this project include a data connection between partners’ systems, resulting in a data dashboard showing key eMaaS data.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: AT, DE, HU, NL, SE
Website: www.emaas.eu
Important Outcomes: Analysis of Measurements

Electric Mobility Without Frontiers

EMWF improves the EV user experience by increasing data interoperability. Focus is given to charging point availability data, and deployment of improved parking sensor technology to predict usage. Information on electrical grid communication is included, and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for a plug-and-charge infrastructure is analysed and extensively demonstrated.

Main Results
Currently, most charging points can communicate the availability of their plug, and this data can be made available to the user in a wide range of front ends. By enhancing the charging points information on static power rating with grid availability, the user can be informed of any shortages and frustration about longer than usual charging pre-empted.

The EMWF project succeeded in providing additional tools for operators of charging points both in the planning and operational stage of their deployment: agent-based simulation to predict charging behaviour was improved with additional data via the project; automated report generation of parking spot usage allows operators to monitor and counteract unwanted blocking behaviour by non-charging customers; and, prediction of power usage and two-way communication with energy grid providers allows for more efficient integration into the power grid, lowering cost and making more locations available for charging infrastructure.

Additionally, by working under open source licenses in the Open Clearing House Protocol (OCHP) and the Distributed Energy Exchange Protocol (DEEP), the results are readily available for public access to ensure maximum market adoption.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: DE, ES, FI, NL
Website: www.elaad.nl/projects/electric-mobility-without-frontiers
Important Outcomes: Demonstration of Field Test

Electric Urban Freight and Logistics

EUFAL supports a knowledge transfer between science and users of electric commercial vehicles to accelerate the market uptake of emission free vehicles in urban logistics. The EUFAL platform informs about available vehicles in the market, charging infrastructure, implementation best practices, demonstrations and new tools for fleet analysis, route optimisation, and total cost of ownership calculation.

Main Results
Many experiences have been collected by associated partners in Denmark, Poland, and Turkey to demonstrate electric vehicle implementations which are compiled below.

A study among urban logistic service providers in İstanbul was conducted, introducing their delivery data in an electric freight vehicle model of choice. As a result, up to 31.7 % of the company’s deliveries could already be covered by electric vehicles, which corresponds to 11 % to 26 % CO₂ emission reductions, depending on the trip time scenarios that had been specified.

An analysis of the potentials and benefits of unloading bays as charging stations in Poland demonstrated the implementation of two unloading bays in the city centre of Szczecin, Poland. The efficiency of chosen electric vehicles types for daily courier work, including distances and battery capacity, was analysed in deliveries in Szczecin and Stargard in Poland.

In cooperation with a construction and civil engineering company in Denmark, it was shown that detailed planning of urban service tasks can overcome the shortcomings of battery range. Thereby it results in a greener profile without extra costs for the inclusion of EVs in fleets.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: AT, DE, DK, PL, TR
Website: www.eufal-project.eu
Important Outcomes: EUFAL Platform, Tools Set, Report

Innovative Vehicle to Grid model for electric mobility deployment in Europe

The overall objective of the project eVolution2G-V2G is to contribute to a zero CO₂ emissions future, developing, testing and optimising an integrated vehicle to grid (V2G) solution using a light quadricycle enabling V2G, a bidirectional V2G enabling charging infrastructure and an Energy Management and Control System.

Main Results
Lifelong battery simulations and state of health tests were undertaken, resulting in key findings. More than 800 equivalent cycles based on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) were performed at different temperature conditions. Based on the tests, a combined state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-health (SOH) estimation algorithm was developed capable of compensating for the actual temperature and current level.

Further, sets of tests were performed using two V2G prototypal charging stations and related EVs. Those tests simulated various actual market conditions to stress the operativity of the system. The system performed well in terms of setpoint tracking, showing a significant potential of V2G technologies to stabilise electrical loads and underlining the crucial role that electric vehicles may cover in future smart grids. Imposed market/ transmission system operator (TSO) power / energy curves were followed by the vehicle-charger system almost with no deviations.

A detailed framework of the costs related to the installation of prototypal charging statons was presented. The expected reduction of costs due to industrialisation of the production was analysed, and a market scouting exercise indicated a possible reduction of costs of up to 50 % compared to project prototype charging solutions.

Duration: 24 months
Partner Countries: IT, DE, DK
Website: www.evolution2grid.eu/
Important Outcomes:
High level analysis of V2G future impact on the DSO network and energy markets
Technological benchmark of V2G Pilot projects

evRoaming for electric mobility in Europe

evRoaming4EU facilitates roaming services for charging electric vehicles and provides transparent information about charging locations and prices in Europe by using the open independent Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol. The goal is to allow any EV driver to charge at any charging station in the EU, by addressing functional, technical, legal and fiscal obstacles.

Main Results
The use of OCPI as a generic roaming protocol was demonstrated in several pilot settings in Denmark, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. In parallel, a roadmap was presented based on practical experiences and academic research to move forward towards a fully interoperable EV charging ecosystem where every EV driver can charge at every station.

The main conclusion of the project is that it is indeed possible to provide national and cross border e-roaming through the use of the OCPI protocol. However, if interoperability issues in Europe are not addressed and mitigated adequately, the publicly available charging infrastructure in Europe runs the risk of scaling forward along fragmented pathways. This can lead to higher costs, stranded investments for the charging operator and a mediocre, certainly less than satisfying, customer experience accessing different charging networks anywhere in Europe.

evRoaming4EU suggests that policy and market parties form, at EU level, a coalition and board consisting of major market operators for harmonisation, further protocol development and e-roaming agreements. This will require the participation of market players of sufficient size, reach and financial acumen to build critical mass behind a uniform standard.

Duration: 24 months
Partner Countries: AT, DE, DK, NL
Website: www.evroaming4.eu
Important Outcomes: OCPI 2.2 (Open Charge Point Interface)

Orchestrating Smart Charging in mass Deployment

OSCD enables mass EV deployment in an economical way while sustaining grid services and utilising renewable energy by orchestrating smart charging. Distribution System Operators (DSO) and site owners have access to services through which they can improve and influence the charging process to reduce grid expansion costs satisfying different flexibility requesters.

Main Results
OSCD has performed a thorough study of the impact of EVs on the Low Voltage (LV) grids. For the scenario definition, previous projects have been analysed and existing simulation tools have been evaluated. Extensive evaluations of different state-of-the art smart charging strategies have been carried out to identify the most important aspects of each. Detailed reports on the impact of massive uncontrolled EV charging were developed.

Finally, an algorithm consisting of several functions was built to minimise node electricity cost, maximise renewable energy usage and node self-sufficiency, reduce grid congestion, and provide frequency-regulation service.

OSCD showed that Multi-Actor Optimisation (MAO) is possible, and smart charging brings advantages to stakeholders. Gaps between protocols on different interfaces were provided to the Standard Development Organizations (SDOs).

Home Energy Management Systems were explored and a lack of interoperability settings identified.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: AT, DE, IL, NL
Website: www.oscd.eu
Important Outcomes: Hardware and Test Results, Report

Planning Process and Tool for Step-by-Step Conversion of the Conventional or Mixed Bus Fleet to a 100 % Electric Bus Fleet

PLATON analyses and defines a planning process for converting a given bus fleet to 100 % electric through a collection of software tools. Due to its complexity, the planning process is based on individual methods. The result is a flexible toolkit that can support the decisions on different levels of strategic management and operational transport planning.

Main Results
Major contributions include the development of the toolkit for determining the energy requirements of electric buses using a sub-microscopic vehicle simulation for a real route with an elevation profile and a simulation-based method for estimating the electrical parameters of lithiumion batteries as energy storage devices for electric buses. When the developed toolkit is applied in conjunction with output data provided by potential users, an improved decision-making basis can be created supporting the transition from conventional to battery-electric drives in transport companies.

For a successful toolkit, PLATON developed a fine-tuned information and data architecture composed of 11 tool components: DataProc, CellParameters, CollectApp, SyntheticalTrips, BusVehicleSimulation, ECBus+, TCOModel, OptimSched, VisualGrids, NMEA simulator and ReportGenerator.

The toolkit also includes the possibility of a proportional electrification of the bus fleet as an important milestone. The toolkit may reveal different country-specific results. Concerning the energy supply structure, real zero emission mobility may be only achieved in countries with low carbon power generation. The use of the provided toolkit helps to make this aspect transparent.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: AT, BY, DE, PL
Website: platon.publictransport.info
Tool Components: PLATON (ifak.eu)

Promoting Electric Mobility in Urban Europe

proEME aims to increase the uptake of e-mobility in Europe by building capacities, networks and tools to support decision-makers. The approaches and decision support tools developed shall serve as blueprints for further development of the EV market and expand the knowledge of electric mobility, acting as a catalyst to create impact and accelerate market uptake.

Main Results
In a multidisciplinary system analysis, the relevant factors and interests of private car owners were examined, and the Adoption Dynamic Analysis Model for Electric Vehicles (ADAM&EV) was developed. The multidisciplinary system analysis shows that the total cost of ownership parity between conventional and electrical technologies plays a decisive role in the decision-making process.

The developed Electric Vehicle Decision Support Model (EV-DSM) tests the economic suitability of EVs for individual vehicle operations. It covers multiple EU countries, vehicle segments, and ownership types and targets private car owners, fleet operators, and companies.

The ECO-Driving tool app aims to improve the attitude towards EVs and provide supports in finding the proper EV for daily uses when switching from a conventional vehicle. The App enables users to track and analyse their driving behaviour.

The tool development was accompanied by data and policy analysis. The analyses showed that there is no reliable or easy to access EU-wide database available. Furthermore, analyses were conducted on the effectiveness of incentives for EVs in different EU countries. A distinction was made between the purchase price and price sensitivity, and it was concluded that incentives could balance TCO parity.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: BY, DE, DK, ES, FI, HU, NL, SE
Website: www.pro-eme.eu
App: play.google.com/store/apps
Important Outcomes: Report guidance plan for integrating and upscaling E-Mobility in your organization – The proEME Approach

Trolley Systems 4 Smart Cities

trolley:2.0 combines the advantages of battery-electric buses with trolleybuses allowing for the partial off-wire operation while making more efficient use of the catenaries to charge the batteries in motion. Trolley 2.0 contributes to improve the flexibility of trolleybus systems and further strengthen the economic and operational competitiveness of trolley systems.

Main Results
Throughout the trolley:2.0 project, several drivers and barriers for the new systems have been identified:

A major driver for electric buses, in general, is the technological advancement in batteries. Further, investment opportunities in the catenary infrastructure would push the use of (IMC battery-) trolleybuses. Currently, there is a lack of financing and funding programs to invest in the catenary infrastructure. A clear prioritisation of public transport vehicles in traffic, i.e. bus lanes, would radically improve the attractiveness of IMC concepts and public transport in general.

On the other hand, the main barriers identified are the high upfront costs for purchasing the modern IMC-capable vehicles and the often old fashioned image of trolleybus technology, which can only be overcome by increasing the awareness of innovations around IMC concepts. Another barrier is that there is no standard legal definition yet for the hybrid trolleybuses in the European Union, leading to delays and bureaucratic difficulties.

Duration: 30 months
Partner Countries: AT, DE, HU, NL, PL
Website: www.trolleymotion.eu/trolley2-0
Important Outcomes: Development Scheme, Final Report