2023-09 SUSTAINABLE BUS

INFRASTRUCTURE
INFRASTRUCTURE
SIEMENS TAKES OVER HELIOX
Changing of the guard
DC FAST CHARGING PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS FOCUSED ON E-BUS FLEETS
In late August Siemens announced
that it has signed an
agreement to acquire charging
solutions specialist Heliox. The
acquisition “will complement Siemens’
existing eMobility charging
portfolio by adding DC fast charging
products and solutions focused
on e-bus and e-truck fleets”,
Siemens stated in a press note. Siemens
eMobility is part of Siemens
Smart Infrastructure, a company
that offers IoT (Internet of Things)-
enabled hardware, software and
services for charging from 11 to
300 kW for a wide range of applications.
Based in the city of Best
in the Netherlands, Heliox employs
about three hundred and thirty people.
Finally, it is worth noting
that Siemens’ commercial vehicle
e-drive division was sold in 2022
to Meritor (part of the Cummins
group, or more precisely of the
Accelera by Cummins business).
Siemens acquires the company from private equity firm Waterland and an
entity owned by a group of employees and individual shareholders; Heliox’s
portfolio will also extend Siemens’ market reach, primarily in Europe
and North America, while improving capabilities in power electronics. The
transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval, it was specified.
Heliox entered North American market in 2021. The Dutch company is
involved in one of the world’s largest e-bus projects at Schiphol Airport
in the Netherlands in the framework of one of the largest e-bus fleets in
Europe, launched in 2018.
“This is a milestone that adds value to
our growing eMobility charging business.
We see potential for digitization
and software in energy and depot management
and services”, said Matthias
Rebellius, Siemens AG board member
and CEO of Smart Infrastructure.
Double hit for CarMedialab, which after winning the
tender for the electrification of public transport in Israel - the
MOBILEcharge charge management system will be used
throughout Israel to recharge electric buses - has been chosen
on the other side of the world, in the States, to be exact
by C-TRAN, the public transport company of Clark County
and the Vancouver-Portland region, to provide, together with
INIT, the IT technology to charge electric buses.
MOBILEcharge is an intelligent charge management system
that not only monitors and controls the charging of e-buses,
but can also integrate various interfaces. These interfaces
enable seamless communication with depot management
and other relevant systems. In this way, operators can better
manage their electric fleets, optimize operations, increase
efficiency, and save costs.
“Sustainability is at the core of our public transportation
business, and battery electric buses are critical to our zeroemission
future -, said Eric Florip, C-TRAN’s communications
and marketing manager -. We are excited to partner
with INIT and CarMedialab to improve the performance
of these vehicles and the experience of our passengers”.
As for the order on Israeli soil, however, the charging stations
will be connected throughout the country as Ayalon
Highways, the nationwide infrastructure provider, contracted
CarMedialab to integrate the MOBILEcharge management
system into hundreds of electric bus charging stations.
ON THE US-ISRAEL AXIS
“We chose CarMedialab’s charge management system for
all our bus depots in Israel. MOBILEcharge will help us
have the maximum number of buses available on time with
minimal network utilization and costs. Let the electrification
revolution begin”, said Shirley W., product manager of
Ayalon Highways.
THE HOUSE OF SMART CHARGING
Amsterdam public transport operator GVB has
chosen The Mobility House to meet charging management
needs
for its 159
electric buses:
the Dutch company
relied on
the ChargePilot
solution and by
the end of the
year the 159
e-buses will be
charged at the
190 DC charging
spots. The
one between
GVB and The Mobility House is actually a partnership
that started last year, as the capital’s
operator has chosen the German company for
Amsterdam’s central station: the collaboration
deal now expands to six more depots across the
city. This is a necessary step toward achieving
the goal of making the entire bus fleet completely
emission-free by 2025.
ChargePilot’s fast response time to network
changes, independence from a stable internet
connection, and data security ensure reliable
and fail-safe load management. This data includes
the battery level status at the time of
arrival, the desired state of charge when the
destination is reached, and the need for preconditioning
according to VDV 261 and ISO 15118.
With this information, connected systems can
manage and monitor individual charging processes
and ensure that each bus is ready for use
at the start of service.
20