Ebusco, supplier of electric buses and depot chargers, and Rocsys, supplier of plug-in robots, are working together to automate bus depots through robotization. The innovative robot ensures that the CCS plug of the depot charger is automatically and 100% correctly plugged into the socket.

The main benefits

“The advantages of automating bus depots are enormous and diverse: by automating this process, no human hands need to be involved and that has 2 major advantages. Firstly, this saves time (time is money), but perhaps even more important is that transport companies eliminate the risk that a bus would accidentally not be charged in the morning, because the plug was not properly inserted into the bus or someone forgotten you can hang the bus on the plug. ”, says Peter Bijvelds, CEO Ebusco.

Important in the choice between pantograph drawers and plug drawers

Automation is an important addition to the selection process about the use of the bus fleet in a concession. It is often necessary to decide at an early stage how and where electric buses will be charged. Ebusco has a very clear vision on this: plug charging is the best solution. Plug-in charging does not require an expensive and time-consuming infrastructure; only chargers need to be placed on a depot. Ebusco buses are equipped with (cobalt-free) LFP battery technology that makes it possible to drive> 350 km on 1 battery charge. “The only argument we regularly hear in favor of charging via a pantograph is that nobody has to do anything manually. That argument is now also off the table with this innovative robot ”, says Bijvelds. "This combination saves a lot of costs, time and permits compared to pantograph solutions."

It is not future music; it is already possible!

“Many people think that robots are really still a long way off, but we prove that it is already possible. The predecessor model of the robot is ready and working. Delivery of the first series of robots will take place in April 2021, after which a demo set-up will be realized at Ebusco in Deurne. A second, larger series is planned for July 2021, ”said Crijn Bouman, CEO of Rocsys.

Future

Many more developments are coming in automation. The robot is being further developed so that it can operate several buses at the same time. In addition, a great deal of work is being done on further standardization of communication between vehicle, charger, robot and overarching systems. Thus, the entire charging process is ready for autonomous electric vehicles.

Also read: Ebusco is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified as of June

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