Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe expands integrated smart charging system from INIT with CarMedialab’s MOBILEcharge

The Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe has opted for the charge management system MOBILEcharge from CarMedialab, a subsidiary of the INIT Group, to efficiently manage the charging processes of its constantly growing fleet of e-buses. 

The installation is planned for July 2024 and includes the integration of charging points for the various bus models, including six VDL buses and new MAN buses expected in August 2024.

Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe turns to CarMedialab

Völklingen, a city close to Saarbrücken in the west of German, not far from French border and Luxembourg, has been using fully electric vehicles since spring 2022 and has already put six e-buses by VDL, including an articulated bus, into operation by 2023. The transport company’s charging infrastructure currently consists of six 150 KW fast chargers. The maintenance of the electric vehicles is supported by a completely renovated workshop hall with a modern electric roof work station.

Further expansion of the charging infrastructure is planned for 2024 and 2025 in order to meet the charging requirements of the 15 new all-electric vehicles that have already been ordered. These include two articulated buses and 12 solo buses from MAN as well as a minibus based on the Mercedes Sprinter, CarMedialab sums up.

Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe to rely on CarMedialab

Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe is already a long-standing customer of INIT, the parent company of CarMedialab, and uses the eMOBILE-PLAN system for bus planning with the integrated optimization tool MOBILEopti as well as the depot management system MOBILE-DMS.

With the introduction of MOBILEcharge, “charge management has also been taken to a new level – CarMedialab says -. The system consists of 22 charging points, including 1 mobile charging point from Temes, 6 charging points from Siemens and 15 charging points from Ekoenergetyka. These charging points enable optimized and strategic charging planning to maximize bus availability and reduce operating costs, among many other benefits. With the addition of MOBILEcharge, Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe can benefit from further advantages of INIT’s integrated solution. By linking charge management and depot management, an optimized charging plan can be created to ensure that all vehicles only receive the charge they need to complete the next round, minimizing peak loads and overall energy costs. It can also ensure that vehicles are automatically rescheduled if a charge cannot be completed properly. In addition, parking spaces at the charging infrastructure can be allocated in a vehicle-optimized manner.

“The switch to e-mobility in public transport improves the quality of life of the citizens of Völklingen and the region in a sustainable way – and also motivates others to switch to a climate-neutral means of transport”, says Thorsten Gundacker, Managing Director of Völklinger Verkehrsbetriebe.