RET Rotterdam’s bus electrification plan
The Randstad, the densest urban region in the Netherlands, is known for a relatively high level of air pollution. RET has been taking responsible action in addressing this issue through their gradual transition to sustainable transport. The Rotterdam-based public transport operator (PTO) has recently introduced 55 electric buses and 103 hybrid ones in the region. RET plans to provide completely emission-free transport by 2030, helping to increase the quality of life in the region.
The core of RET’s efficient management of its mixed fleet relies on a data-driven approach which «is already showing fantastic results. The PTO revealed that due to an optimized charging infrastructure and effective planning, its electric buses can drive as much as their diesel ones (400-500 km/day)», ViriCiti highlights.
«If you have a issue with a e-bus, you have to look at a laptop»
“If there is an issue with e-buses, you now have to look at a laptop, not under the hood of the bus. The technical side of e-buses is very different from diesel. But ViriCiti helps us with data access. We need data for managing electric buses. Without the system of ViriCiti, the condition-based maintenance of the electric vehicles would not be possible. ViriCiti is the perfect tool for our data needs.” said René van Oostenbrugge, Maintenance Engineer & E-Mobility Specialist, RET
The real-time data allows RET to have an overview of their fleet in one blink, says Heleen van Setten. RET pulls ViriCiti data into their platform and traffic control system, in order to have a centralized operation and achieve more efficient route and charging planning. When necessary, charger resets are performed via the ViriCiti platform to fix charger connectivity issues remotely.
“We are proud that RET chose us to equip such a large part of their fleet with our system, and happy to see that our platform & data helps operators to accelerate their move towards sustainable transport and to use their zero-emission buses as efficiently as possible”, says Freek Dielissen, Co-founder and CEO, ViriCiti.
