From self-delivery to expert-led scale
After a self-delivered 6-vehicle pilot, Brinks partnered with Zenobē to scale to 25 vehicles in 12 months, cutting costs and timelines whilst projecting $800k in fuel and maintenance savings.
Abellio, London
Cost-effective, compact charging for a constrained London depot
c.3,180 tonnes
of CO2 saved from entering the atmosphere per year*
c.852kg
of NOx saved from entering the atmosphere per year*
*This number was updated on 11/12/24, in-line with our most up-to-date reporting methodology.
Zenobē provided financing and is operating a range of cost reducing and environmentally friendly solutions for bus operator Abellio in London.
The challenge
Abellio London planned to deploy 34 electric buses from their Walworth depot for Transport for London routes C10 (Canada Water to Victoria Station) and P5 (Patmore Estate to Elephant and Castle) but required battery financing and charging infrastructure services.
Abellio’s grid import capacity at their Walworth depot restricted the number of buses that could be charged at once. Additional space constraints also required any charging solution to be compact.
Abellio needed a solution that could charge their electric buses overnight despite grid constraints, while not taking up too much space to rule out further planned fleet electrification at the depot.
The solution
To determine grid and storage requirements, we conducted a detailed study of mileages and energy efficiency, considering vehicle-route combinations.
We installed a stationary battery to support the grid when charging electric buses at peak periods using our bespoke software system. This stationary battery will provide services to National Grid during the day, generating additional income, which in turn will reduce fees for Abellio.
Additionally, we financed all 34 batteries on the bus through a managed service, guaranteeing that route mileage requirements are met throughout the duration of the contract.
Charging infrastructure – multiple DC chargers with the ability to charge vehicles at >80kW, in a simple plug-and-play solution that is technology neutral. The bus operator plugs in their electric vehicle and Zenobē takes care of smart charging to guarantee a full charge every day.
Batteries – modular and move-able, quick to install, connected to Zenobē’s proprietary dispatch and monitoring software, and able to be increased in size as Abellio decides to electrify more routes in the future or introduce more e-buses at the depot.
This project demonstrates the opportunity for cost-effectively accelerating fleet electrification at scale through innovative partnerships between local government, bus operators and electrification specialists like Zenobē.
The outcome
Zenobē’s end-to-end solution reduced the upfront and operating costs of electrification while lowering emissions and noise pollution. It also provided flexibility for the future.
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