Good practice:

(Automated) Pre-conditioning of e-buses

Heating/cooling a bus before departure is energy intensive. In addition, optimal temperature for the battery pack is 25°C. At temperatures significantly below this, the batteries cannot be fully charged. The process of heating e-buses up prior to departure is called preconditioning and is important for maximizing the range.
Manual pre-conditioning of buses requires much time and effort, so automating this is very beneficial for e-bus fleets. Not only regarding time management but also energy management. For fully automated pre-conditioning the dispositioning system determines the departure time and relays this via the backend infrastructure charging system to the bus.
Using the charging backend allows for an additional optimization step: Information from the dispositioning system can be used to decide which e-bus needs to be charged at what time with what power. Thus, the number of e-buses charged at the same time can be minimized, decreasing the maximum power required for the depot and allowing for a smaller transformer station. Regions who want to apply pre-conditioning do not necessarily need to go for an integrated solution but can take a manual approach.
The backend of the interface has been developed by the grid provider (Stromnetz Hamburg), called eRound. It makes use of the internet protocol between bus and charger and is linked to the dispositioning system. Beneficiaries are the transport operator and the grid provider as part of the smart charging strategy.

Resources needed depend on the implementation of pre-conditioning. In the simplest form, no additional resources are required since bus drivers activate pre-conditioning manually on a panel inside the bus. For an IT solution, costs are depending on many factors and cannot be generally quantified.

Pre-conditioning is a good practice as such, extending the rage of buses. The IT backend tool eRound is being tested and further improved at VHH for their specific needs.

There are different ways in which pre-conditioning can be done. From manually, using a timer to fully integrated implementing an IT solution. The decision depends largely on available money, the number of e-buses operated and generated benefit (more benefit for larger fleets).