Charge4Fleets

Transportation is the source of a quarter of global carbon emissions, making it a critical industry for climate action. To accelerate the reduction of transportation related CO₂ emissions, governments across the globe are setting ambitious targets for electrifying vehicle fleets.

For fleet owners and operators, the conversion process can feel complex and costly, requiring integration of new electric vehicle (EV) procurement with new major upgrades to energy infrastructure and operational alignment to changing technology. Working with fleet operators, Arup has developed Charge4Fleets™ to tackle this multidisciplinary challenge. Building on the success of Charge4All, Arup’s digital platform that addresses the equitable deployment of public chargers for electric vehicles, Charge4Fleets is a ready-to-use suite of digital solutions that provide industry leading analyses to streamline the conversion of fleets to all-electric, reducing cost and risk while speeding an orderly transition.

How it works

Charge4Fleets helps speed the fleet electrification conversion process while also strengthening decision-maker confidence and reducing range anxiety. It automates the data pipeline process and distills robust analytical results that explore the fleet and charging scenarios that are most cost effective, timely, and operationally achievable. By optimizing the spend to emission ratio of fleet electrification, Charge4Fleets can help our clients spend less and ensure investments lead to cost-effective emission savings. These insights are presented through high-quality data visualizations for reference across stakeholders and teams. A web-based platform provides comprehensible, interactive results and technical insights by merging a variety of data sets into an easy-to-understand dashboard.

The platform analyzes a variety of inputs — for fixed and non-fixed route operators — from general movement data like routes, stop times, and trip information to vehicle assignments and elevation data. Charge4Fleets then explores parameters like vehicle model, charging options, and the operational requirements while also taking into consideration external parameters like gradient changes, driving environments, driver behavior, and temperature changes. Once all interrelated factors are examined, fleet assessment plans, charging strategies, and evaluation of energy impacts are put into a comprehensive and dynamic model for interactive decision-making and scenario planning.

Explore the routes and schedule of the existing fleet.

Visualize areas where vehicles would have a low state of charge, which may be strategic locations for opportunity charging.

Consider providing charging at existing depot locations. Markers are sized by the number of vehicles that are ready to be converted at each depot.

Energy demand with enroute charging graph

Consider the energy demand at each depot location if buses were to start charging during layovers.

Bus state of charging with enroute charging graph

Evaluate the state of charge if vehicles utilize opportunity charging at the selected depot locations.

Discover how Charge4Fleets can help you

Maximise vehicle and fleet performance

A critical component of transitioning fleets to all-electric is ensuring there is sufficient and cost-effective charging infrastructure. This includes answering questions such as, what would be the energy demand if charging infrastructure were to be installed, which vehicles and routes are ready to be converted, and what happens if the trip dispatch changes? Charge4Fleets can help determine the necessary charging capacity and cost, route readiness, strategic charging depot locations, and cost-effective opportunity charging if needed. It can be further customized to suit unique fleet performance characteristics.

Case study

Supporting Marin Transit's investment decisions

Arup collaborated with Marin Transit in California to deliver a future-looking analysis of energy demand and route readiness in support of their fleet’s conversion to all-electric. Charge4Fleets utilized a robust physics engine that considered custom parameters, such as HVAC, operation environment, topography, battery efficiency, and bus choice, to calculate the energy consumption throughout the day for each bus, route, and for the fleet as a whole. The availability of user-selected inputs allowed for quick iterations and comparisons for different scenarios. Our work is helping Marin Transit make decisions about where their investment will be the most effective and have the greatest impact as they progress towards full conversion of their fleet.

Streamline utility engagement

Connecting into utilities is a crucial step in a fleet’s electrification journey and determining the future impact on the grid requires consideration of a wide range of factors — from the type of electric vehicle to be utilized to the level of charger required. Charge4Fleets can rapidly characterize a client’s unique operating parameters to determine the energy opportunities for integrating their fleet into current utility infrastructure – and provide the key information and levers to support effective conversations with utility operators.

Navigating local utility loads

Arup has also led e-bus studies in major cities in East Asia and Southeast Asia with large bus fleets. For one such city, Arup focused on optimizing operations and charging within utility constraints. After identifying peak loads at bus yards, Arup analyzed how to achieve a 5MW load that met the utility service limits and compared it to other alternatives that would result in a higher load on the utility. Leveraging Charge4Fleets, we identified the risks and obstacles associated with the utility service options and presented these findings to various stakeholders locally.

Integrate sustainability and resilience into infrastructure

In transitioning to electric bus fleets, Arup is often asked to focus significant attention on how to reliably, sustainably, and cost-effectively keep the fleet charged, as electricity may not always be available and can come with a high cost. Charge4Fleets addresses this issue by identifying the gaps, risks, and opportunities in time-based charge management and resulting variability in charging demand — lending opportunity to the development of co-located microgrids that reduce carbon emissions, optimize energy costs, and provide for energy resilience.

Case study

Independent microgrid for Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority

In collaboration with PXiSE and Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Arup designed a single user microgrid, an independent, resilient energy distribution, storage, and generation network, for Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority in Massachusetts. Powered by solar energy, the microgrid provides clean, reliable energy for the main depot. In addition, the VTA system design includes two en-route induction charging stations that opportunistically recharge the buses when loading and unloading passengers to reduce the need for buses to detour back to the depot to recharge while in service.

Build confidence in investment

By providing in-depth and data-driven financial analyses with scenario visualization, Charge4Fleets gives users the understanding needed to advance from feasibility to implementation. Our visually engaging platform and interactive maps, graphs, and visuals facilitate stakeholder conversation and decision-maker approvals, building confidence for the investment at each phase in the transition.

Supporting cleaner transport in Sheffield

Arup led a detailed study and planning effort for the introduction of electric buses across the Sheffield City Region, supporting the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) in advancing cleaner public transport in both Sheffield and Doncaster in the United Kingdom. Using a detailed model of the routes to be electrified, which combined electric vehicle efficiency and performance data with bus service data from operators, allowed SYPTE to determine which routes were most suitable for electrification and where the positive impacts on air quality would be most pronounced. Our analysis brought confidence in bus electrification investment, and enabled us to work with our client to advance implementation for the electrification of two route options that considered the strategic, economic, and financial cases for investment.

Looking to the future

We continue to develop Charge4Fleets. Our goal is to assist clients in their journeys to plan and implement fleet charging networks and to develop vital strategies and associated infrastructure for the next generation of transport. New infrastructure, whether it be electric charging or hydrogen fueling, will be the key to rapid adoption of new modes of mobility to decarbonize the transport sector and achieve net-zero emissions mobility.

Talk to us

You can access the Charge4Fleet services through regional practice leaders around the world. Wherever you’re based, we can help you get the most out of your project at any stage of its lifecycle.

Digital solutions and tools

Our experts in software and product development design and develop robust applications and tools to enable better decision making for our clients.

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