Despite the current reduction in incentives in the sector, Germany remains one of the key drivers of electromobility in Europe. In order to contribute to this deployment, CarMedialab, the company specializing in software solutions for electric mobility, offers MOBILEcharge.
This is a charging management system specifically designed for electric buses in the realm of public transportation.
It provides forecasts and reports on energy demand, monitors charging operations, and ensures balanced management to prevent costly peaks in the power grid.
Moreover, it is compatible with systems from different manufacturers.
Thanks to MOBILEcharge, transportation companies no longer need to manually input departure times.
Instead, by receiving these schedules automatically, it develops charging strategies to enable simultaneity without overloading the grid.
This way, total load in the depot is kept under control, ensuring that vehicles are available for passengers on time.
Meanwhile, employees can oversee the progress of processes, both on an individual vehicle level and at charging points, allowing them to evaluate execution according to established planning.
In this manner, any issues are detected and addressed promptly.
The same holds true if a charging process cannot be completed within the expected time, despite optimization and automation measures.
The generated information is transmitted back to the dispatch center and can be managed within the system.
To make this possible, the company has collaborated with the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) as part of Working Group 463 (VDV463).
The goal is to define how the intelligent charging management system can be incorporated into the existing IT architecture of transport companies.
This focuses on how the system can automatically receive information about departure times and, reciprocally, how it can efficiently transmit charging progress to higher-level systems.
In this regard, Heiko Bauer, founder and CEO of CarMedialab, details to Mobility Portal Europe: “This enabled the creation of a product that meets the overall market expectations, addressing the needs of numerous clients, rather than focusing on providing customized solutions for individual clients.”
This approach leads to cost reduction, acceleration in implementation times, and an increase in service quality.
Not only that, but with MOBILEcharge, battery and cabin temperature preconditioning for the bus starts automatically.
This process is activated based on ambient temperature and departure time, provided the vehicle is connected to the charging cable.
Initiating preconditioning while the vehicle is still in the depot significantly contributes to improving its autonomy.
This procedure not only stabilizes operations but also enhances the quality of service offered to passengers.
About CarMedialab
The German company’s business model combines software, IoT, and electromobility.
With a prominent presence in the automotive industry over the past two decades, they adapted their products to meet the needs of transportation companies about ten years ago.
Additionally, they ventured into smart charging for electric vehicles 15 years ago.
“Even in very early projects in 2008 and 2009, we made a great effort to give the vehicle a departure time during charging,” emphasizes the CEO.
Back then, this was done in private locations, such as garages or in front of private residences, with the aim of delaying the start of charging until the scheduled departure time.
To facilitate this, they developed a website that allowed the driver to set their departure time, which was transmitted to the vehicle via mobile phone.
“It was completely inconvenient but somehow important. In public transportation this is given for free by the schedule,” he asserts. “This kicked off the idea of MOBILEcharge”
With the advent of electromobility in public transportation, they realized the importance of this technology for electric buses and launched the product.
Currently, they market their software solution worldwide, covering shinig references from Dakar in Senegal, Brussels, and Tel Aviv to Vancouver (USA) and Barcelona, in addition to their presence throughout Germany, their country of origin.
In this regard, Bauer highlights: “With the transition to electromobility being at different pace on the global scale, the challenge for us is to be in the right place at the right time.”
