BVG monitors battery of its electric buses with volytica diagnostics

volytica diagnostics, a German software provider for battery diagnostics, and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), extend their cooperation in monitoring their electric bus batteries. Using cloud-based evaluation of battery data, the aim is to prevent failures, ensure high availability and improve battery life.

BVG, which transports around one million people in Berlin every day, is pursuing the goal of having only e-buses in operation on Berlin’s roads by 2030. The collaboration with volytica diagnostics will help to ensure smooth and safe operation of public transport, especially e-buses, in the future with the help of battery diagnostics. volytica determines and monitors the condition of batteries to predict anomalies, plan necessary maintenance work and control wear.

“Batteries are the drivers of the mobility transition, but at the same time they are a wearing part that needs to be monitored by means of centralized fleet and maintenance management. We have invested more than 10 years in research and development to base such optimal monitoring purely on sensor data, which are determined by the battery systems anyway and transmitted to the control centers – but whose invaluable value remains virtually unused today due to a lack of systematic evaluation. In order to create added value for the transformation of the transport sector, we combine this data in our highly scalable platform, evaluate it, and can thus identify abnormalities and anomalies in a targeted manner at an early stage and positively influence wear. This not only flanks the reliability of BVG vehicles, but also creates stronger trust in e-mobility among the masses and, quite simply, makes it more economical,” says Claudius Jehle, Managing Director of volytica diagnostics GmbH.

volytica is helping BVG to make its contribution to the mobility turnaround in Berlin and facilitate the planned switch to electric buses by 2030 at the latest. “This first project with BVG should be a signal to many other fleet operators, as well as to leasing companies, insurers and manufacturers. We are convinced that transparent use and evaluation of battery data will have a massive impact on the spread and reliability of e-mobility in general in the future,” adds Jehle.

To this end, the cloud-based software continuously evaluates the data from the batteries. Thanks to the analysis combined with continuous safety monitoring, classic fire protection is supplemented by preventive measures. For example, the software automatically warns of dangerous battery performance before it becomes critical. The software can be easily integrated into any application, as no additional hardware or laboratory tests are required.