ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS SMART TRANSPORT
COPA DATA
Battery storage for zero emission cities
‘ Range anxiety ’ is a term coined to describe the worry of getting ‘ stranded due to power loss ’ when driving an electric vehicle ( EV ). The low power range of EVs is infamous and a reason the market has been slow to pick up speed . But , with the UK Government vowing to reduce emissions in cities , how can battery storage make EVs feasible for public transport ? Here , Alan Binning , Regional Sales Manager at COPA- DATA UK , explains .
Achieving zero-emission public transport is a vital element of a smart city , and there are several initiatives in place to encourage these efforts . The All Electric Bus Town scheme , published in February 2020 by the UK Government , includes a host of funding opportunities for local authorities , including an investment of up to £ 50 million to deliver Britain ’ s first all-electric bus town or city .
Unfortunately , electric buses are notoriously power hungry . In fact , most have a range lower than that of electric cars , averaging just 120 miles per charge compared to 680 miles for diesel buses .. Now , that ’ s what we call ‘ range anxiety ’. With most buses travelling upwards of 150 miles a day , maintaining power is not possible without numerous charging interludes or increased battery-based storage .
UPGRADING SUPPLY AND STORAGE Bus depots have traditionally managed with low power requirements , meaning high power infrastructure has never been built . To change this , installing a small-scale substation to increase power supply for a bus depot is a possible option . However , this physical solution can be complex and costly .
Many city centres do not have spare real estate to house a new substation and those that do will price this land at a premium . That ’ s not to mention the logistical nightmare of planning permission , laying cables and building new infrastructure in a bustling city . Out of town alternatives , like park and ride spaces , are an alternative . But again , they have very limited infrastructure .
Another option is installing a fixed battery storage system to deal with peak demands of energy beyond what the site supply is able to handle . This would allow the depot access to energy whenever it is needed , allowing fleet managers to effectively manage and charge electric bus fleets .
DATA FOR DECISIONS For electric or hybrid bus fleets , the role of a fleet manager expands beyond timetable scheduling and vehicle maintenance . Overseeing an electric bus fleet requires a closer analysis of the energy balance on site — monitoring vehicle emissions , battery charge and identifying opportunities to improve operations .
zenon Energy Edition from COPA-DATA is a platform to visualize , evaluate and report on real-time energy data . As an independent software platform , zenon can be integrated with multiple assets connecting charging points , battery storage and the wider energy grid .
In an electric bus depot setting , zenon can be used to monitor the status of charging points in the depot and the energy levels of batteries . The system can also integrate traditional enterprise files , such as the bus timetable , employee rota and maintenance schedule .
This data can then be relayed to the fleet operator using a bespoke interface to allow them to make better decisions . For instance , zenon can be integrated with energy trading networks via the zenon Service Grid . Access to this data could allow operators to strategically charge batteries when energy prices are most favourable and — should contracts allow — sell energy back to the grid when prices are high .
SOFTWARE FOR ZERO-EMISSIONS Electric buses using battery storage are just one example of how to use zenon for smart cities . However , with the Government setting ambitions for all UK buses to be fully electric by 2025 , fleet managers must prioritise their transition to EV fleets over other smart city initiatives .
According to the Government , a town with 200 electric buses can save around 7,400 tonnes of CO2 in a year — that is the equivalent of taking 3,700 diesel cars off the road . ‘ Range anxiety ’ may still be EVs biggest turn off , but with technology to better manage the charge and energy demand of electric buses , All Electric-Bus Towns suddenly sound much more feasible .
For more information about COPA-DATA for energy applications , contact the UK team directly at + 44 ( 0 ) 2920 10 88 77 or visit the COPA-DATA website : www . copadata . com .
For further information , please visit www . copadata . com
52 PECM Issue 47