Far-sighted planning

MOBILE-PLAN was extended, to cover the different requirements of e-mobility and now includes e-mobility parameters such as range, consumption, bus charging technology and charging infrastructure. Even before the first e-buses are delivered, simulations can be carried out to review various deployment scenarios and analyse the effects on a wide range of reference figures. These include vehicle and personnel requirements, as well as the range. Moreover, scenarios can be created for different temperature ranges, since heating and cooling have a huge impact on an e-bus’ range. The simulations provide important insights and help to minimize all types of risk, especially in the initial phase when there is a lack of experience of e-mobility amongst employees. After all, appropriate measures can only be introduced if the effects of e-mobility on various factors are known.

“The planning software helps us understand what we need to focus on at each planning phase. Thanks to the simulations, we were aware right from the start that we would successfully manage the complete switch to e-mobility,” explains Managing Director Thorsten Gundacker.

The simulations showed that their e-buses could be deployed on all the blocks without any difficulty. The limited size of VVB’s service area also helps in this regard. An important principle in the planning work in Völklingen is that in order to fully benefit from the ecological and economic advantages over diesel buses, the e-buses must be deployed as much as possible. This is why e-buses are now used on the largest blocks.

The simulations that VVB carried out also proved that their charging concept was going to be successful. VVB decided to exclusively charge their buses in the depot due to the lack of suitable sites for charging points along the route. The necessary modifications to the depot, including construction of a dedicated transformer station, have already been completed. With an intermediate charge in the depot in the morning, the six electric buses can now run well into the evening, in some cases with a further intermediate charge required in the evening.

The fact that the MOBILEopti² optimisation tool also takes duty planning into account has been particularly useful in Völklingen. The planning staff used simulations to examine the effects on personnel requirements. Once the e-buses were deployed, they were able to create robust block and duty rosters with much less effort. The simulations proved that they would not need to recruit extra staff.

The expansion of the e-bus fleet will result in yet another change: The 21 buses will no longer be deployed on fixed blocks, which will require a sophisticated depot management system. VVB are also prepared for this and will implement MOBILE-DMS, another solution developed by INIT Mobility Software Solutions, to allocate vehicles to blocks, but also to allocate parking slots in the depot and to manage workshop repairs. This bodes well for the successful transition of the final e-mobility introduction phase in 2031, when the entire fleet will be electrified. VVB first laid the foundations for this successful project in 2022 with eMOBILE-PLAN.