A large local bus company in Denmark has rich industry experience. In the past, it mainly used fuel vehicles, but driven by the concept of green travel, it gradually transformed into an electric bus fleet. To support this transformation, SCU provided it with efficient and reliable EV chargers to meet the daily charging needs of the bus fleet. However, with the rapid expansion of the electric bus fleet, charging costs have become an important challenge for operators, and charging solutions need to be further optimized to reduce operating expenses.
Challenge: High charging costs caused by electricity price fluctuations
During operation, the bus fleet found that due to real-time fluctuations in electricity prices, buses were often charged during peak hours, resulting in increased overall operating costs. This not only affects the economic benefits of the electrification transformation but also brings additional pressure to daily management. To this end, SCU cooperated with ChargePoint (a leading global electric vehicle charging network and solution provider) to help buses charge intelligently.
Solution: Smart Charging
SCU provided it with 20 sets of 180kW CCS EV chargers, using the dual-gun CCS2 standard, to provide efficient charging services for the bus fleet. SCU EV charger enables the Smart Charging function through OCPP and automatically adjusts the charging power according to the local real-time electricity price through ChargePoint.
- Real-time electricity price perception: Chargepoint can access the Energy Market and grasp real-time electricity price data.
- Intelligent charging power adjustment: When the electricity price is high, Chargepoint communicates with the EV charger through OCPP to reduce the charging power; when the electricity price is low, it charges the electric bus at the highest power, thereby effectively saving costs while ensuring charging needs.
Advantages of Smart Charging:
- Internet-connected smart electric vehicle chargers enable you to manage and monitor the charging of your car. So you can ensure that charging adapts to your needs and even have ways to use it and reduce your electricity bill.
- With smart charging, you can get information about how you use the charging station and how much power you use. To make the session more optimized in terms of when and how to charge, you can monitor how often you charge your vehicle, how much energy you use, and at what time.
- Many utility companies offer lower off-peak rates during periods when electricity demand is low, such as at night or on weekends. By scheduling charging during these periods, you can save a lot of money in the long run.
- Like all lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicle batteries also age with each charge and discharge cycle and gradually lose some of their capacity. Smart charging lets you choose the start time and maximum charge level, ensuring your electric vehicle charges at an affordable price and maximizing battery life.
- Depending on your region, energy supplier, and contract, you can take advantage of off-peak pricing by scheduling charging at specific times. These times are usually at night and on weekends and are used to encourage users to shift energy use to quieter times when there is less pressure on the grid. Charging your electric vehicle regularly during these time periods can save a lot of money.
The SCU EV charger supports OCPP1.6J and works with ChargePoint to demonstrate the advantages of SCU’s smart charging in optimizing costs and improving operational efficiency. This solution allows customers to successfully reduce charging costs while injecting green and efficient power into their electrification development.
Outlook: Helping the bus industry move toward a sustainable future
By providing a Smart Charging solution combined with Chargepoint, SCU once again demonstrated its technical strength in the field of electric transportation. In the future, SCU will continue to be committed to providing more public transportation operators with smart and efficient EV charging solutions, accelerating the global electrification transformation, and moving towards a sustainable green future together.