VITALISE: Battery diagnostics and life extension

Longer battery life for electric buses

The electrification of public transport buses in the Netherlands is going well and as the share of electric buses grows, it becomes increasingly attractive and impactful to make improvements to the existing fleet, in addition to expanding it. An obvious improvement step is to extend the battery life, due to the significant costs associated with the battery.

How do we achieve this?

VITALISE aims to extend battery life by developing a fleet operation strategy. This strategy will take actions based on battery status and schedule to prolong battery life. Examples of strategy actions include adjusting charging speed or changing battery temperature.

The achieved battery life extension will be demonstrated in a pilot project where the operation strategy will be applied to a portion of Arriva's electric bus fleet. To demonstrate the battery life extension, the development of battery diagnostic tool called CheckUp Tool and a bi-directional charger are necessary.

• Developing a fleet operation method that extends battery life based on battery status and schedule.
• Demonstrating the achieved battery life extension in a pilot project where this method will be applied to a portion of Arriva's electric bus fleet.
• Developing CheckUp Tool and a bi-directional charger to demonstrate battery life extension.

Who do we cooperate with?

To achieve the goals of the project, TNO collaborates with three partners – Arriva, Heliox and Chargepoint. Chargepoint develops software for fleet operation and charger management, providing vehicle and charger data and algorithm development. Arriva implements the fleet operation method for the bus fleet and conducts the pilot project. Heliox develops a bi-directional charger that charges according to the fleet operation method.

TNO Powertrains focuses on developing fleet operation methods, the CheckUp Tool, analysing pilot project data, dissecting project results, and project management.

Impact

The intended main result of the project is the VITALISE fleet operation strategy, which can extend the battery life of the pilot vehicles by 20%. The exact achieved battery life extension will be demonstrated in the pilot project.

An important advantage of the operation strategy and the CheckUp Tool is that they are not only applicable to public transport buses but can also be applied to any emission-free vehicle fleet that uses batteries. In addition to the operation strategy, the project will develop the following algorithms and products to support the pilot project:

1. The Battery CheckUp tool combined with a 150 kW bi-directional charger (this allows for battery health measurement in the field),
2. An expected lifespan forecast for the battery, and
3. A battery electronic passport.