Transit agency Tri Delta Transit, which operates 15 bus routes serving some 250,000 residents in Contra Costa County, California, is using a managed charging software platform from AMPLY Power to optimize its energy usage, while ensuring that its vehicles are charged and ready to work each day.

Tri Delta Transit began operating electric buses from Proterra and BYD in 2018. It brought AMPLY in during the fall of 2019 to simplify charging operations and “address challenges presented by previously installed hardware.”

AMPLY’s hardware-agnostic, cloud-based smart charging system monitors charging status and power levels in real time, deploying algorithms to minimize utility demand charges. Using this real-time status allows AMPLY’s system to forecast when the vehicles will be ready to go, and once they’re out delivering passengers, the system can track their return SOC and length of time to recharge. Tri Delta says this is delivering up to 40 percent savings on energy costs.

“We monitor the chargers and catch error codes to improve charger uptime, and its database collects all the information Tri Delta needs to confidently move down their electrification roadmap,” said Rob Kelly, VP Business Development at AMPLY.

“Fleet operators work on a very rigorous timeline, and must adhere to a strict operational dance to ensure their vehicles run on schedule. This on-the-go structure makes finding the time to optimize an electric fleet more difficult than one might expect,” said Vic Shao, CEO of AMPLY.

In addition to managing charging operations with a depot’s existing hardware, AMPLY also offers comprehensive Charging-as-a-Service to fleet owners. This includes managing utility administration and interconnection, as well as establishing an optimal charging strategy based on drive and duty cycles.

Source: AMPLY Power