While the zero-emissions bus transition is a major focus point in Australia, it’s been a primary topic for the world’s bus sector for numerous years. Back in 2021, Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe (VVB) became the first transport company in the German federal state of Saarland to introduce electromobility with an order of two electric buses, and four more have been added to the fleet since 2023.
These orders have come courtesy of funding from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, with roughly $6.5 million AUD provided for 15 additional electric buses. Now, around two-thirds of the operator’s fleet will be electric by the end of 2025, with VVB set to use only electric buses by 2031 at the very latest.
VVB has relied on INIT for years for its entire planning-related tasks, using INIT’s MOBILE-PLAN for diesel buses before electrifying its fleet. This has included the optimisation tool MOBILEopti2, which performs integrated block and duty optimisation to help save VVB time.
Due to INIT’s modular system architecture, VVB was able to switch to eMOBILE-PLAN in just a few days to match its transition to electric buses.
Now, VVB has used the eMOBILE-PLAN system to simulate and test concepts regarding its move to electric bus networks.
Initially, the operator extended MOBILE-PLAN to cover the different requirements of e-mobility, including range, consumption, bus charging technology and charging infrastructure. Before the first buses were delivered, simulations began to review various deployment scenarios and analyse the effects on a wide range of reference figures like vehicle requirements and range.
Scenarios were also created for different temperature ranges to see how heating and cooling performed and the impact it had on the vehicle’s battery.
“The planning software helps us understand what we need to focus on at each planning phase,” VVB managing director Thorsten Gundacker says.
“Thanks to the simulations, we were aware right from the start that we would successfully manage the complete switch to e-mobility.”
The INIT simulations showed that electric buses could be deployed on all blocks without any difficulty, fulfilling VVB’s need to deploy the buses as much as possible to receive the full ecological and economic advantages.
The simulations VVB carried out using INIT’s technology proved that their planned charging concept was going to be successful, with the operator deciding to exclusively charge their buses in the depot due to a lack of suitable charging point sites along routes. Therefore, depot modifications began ahead of schedule to allow for intermediate charges in the morning. In this way, the electric buses can now run well into the evening as part of intermediate charging.
In terms of personnel requirements, the MOBILEopti2 tool also takes duty scheduling into account, helping VVB to create robust block and duty rosters with much less effort and realise they don’t need to recruit extra staff.
On top of that, the INIT system ensures all buses are charged up to a range that is 20 per cent greater than what is actually required for the day’s services, allowing for ultimate efficiency.
Now, phase three of the VVB e-mobility project is underway, with an extra 15 buses ordered last year and simulations showing that they will be able to be managed on shorter blocks with just 15 minutes of intermediate charging.
With the total number of electric buses in VVB’s fleet increasing, the operator has had to continually focus on its charging infrastructure and power requirements. Currently, the power it accesses is sufficient to charge the six electric buses it deploys, but further expansions will require an increased load.
INIT Australia sales manager Shane Bedford says the brand can provide real-world experience for operators as a partner during the shift to electric bus networks.
“The VVB case shows how INIT can handle key issues like charging infrastructure, power management, and depot systems,” Bedford told ABC.
“With INIT’s help, operators can smoothly transition to electric buses, reducing disruptions and boosting environmental and economic benefits. In Australia, we can apply these lessons from Europe’s EV transition to ensure a successful and efficient move to electric bus fleets.”
INIT eMOBILE-PLAN has determined the maximum power that can’t be exceeded and has adjusted charging slots accordingly to better use power availability. This means that not all buses are charged directly before their shifts, with the charging distributed over the entire available period between shifts, known as peak shaving.
INIT’s systems have shown that VVB’s 21 electric buses will no longer have to be deployed on fixed schedules in the future, but can and will be deployed freely, which will require a sophisticated management system. When the time comes, VVB will deploy the depot management system MOBILE-DMS, another INIT solution that allocates vehicles to shift blocks as well as allocating depot parking spaces and managing workshop repairs.
The latest system will help successfully transition VVB as it prepares for its final e-mobility introduction phase in 2031.