Siemens' Depot360 is one of the emerging players in the EV charging infrastructure space that not enough people know about.
Revealed earlier this year at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Depot360 is the German multinational technology conglomerate's Managed Service offering, which combines energy, infrastructure development, and a range of vehicle management solutions to make fleet electrification simpler and more affordable.
[Related: Siemens Depot360 aims to simplify fleet electrification]
Today, Depot360, which is part of the Siemens Xcelerator open digital platform, has announced a new contract with Norway's Unibuss, a subsidiary of municipal transport company Sporveien AS that services 70 million people annually with 51 bus routes in the Greater Oslo area, to provide its Managed Services solution that aims to provide necessary assistance during harsh winter weather conditions.
Unibuss' fleet currently has 259 electric buses.
Perhaps the most important factor Unibuss (as well as any fleet operating EVs) is 24/7 vehicle monitoring while charging. This can be all the more complicated during winter. Siemens' Depot 360 is able to ensure the right amount of energy is being delivered to vehicles without surpassing grid capacity. At the same, it can remotely monitor bus charging status so that regular operations are not impacted.
This is done via Siemens' 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC), which uses advanced algorithms to monitor and manage the charging infrastructure's overall performance. If any issues arises, the NOC can quickly identify it and provide solutions based on data-driven decisions.
"Transitioning to electric fleets is a vital step for Norway to achieve its ambitious climate goals and for setting a global example for greener transportation,” said Henrik Anderberg, technical director, Unibuss. “So too is implementing the right technology in order to optimize the efficiency of electric fleets. With Depot360 Managed Services, we can enhance the efficiency of our operations by optimizing charging, reducing energy costs, and improving route completion rates. Such streamlining of operations supports our sustainability goals, helping us contribute to a greener future and reduce our carbon footprint in public transportation.”
To date, Unibuss is Depot360's first Norwegian customer.
“Depot360 Managed Services, part of our digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator, will be a game-changer for Unibuss' operations," commented Siemens Smart Infrastructure's Global Head of Emerging Transportation Platforms, Alan White. "We look forward to demonstrating how our data-driven platform and expert NOC team can deliver more reliable, efficient, and transparent fleet operations, even in the most challenging environments.”
