14 December 2021: Enel X and Optibus, an AI software platform that powers complex transit operations in over 500 cities worldwide, announced their partnership for the creation of an end-to-end solution for electric bus operations, combining Enel X’s robust electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure with Optibus’ cloud-based EV planning and scheduling software.
“Enel X’s infrastructure and smart charging expertise combined with Optibus’ planning, scheduling, and optimisation platform represents an end-to-end solution for bringing the entire public transportation industry on board the EV revolution,” said Valerio Vadacchino, Head of Global eBus at Enel X. “We look forward to working with Optibus to deliver an innovative approach to eBus operations worldwide.”
“With access to both physical EV infrastructure and operational software, the roll-out of EVs happens faster and more effectively,” said Amos Haggiag, CEO and co-founder of Optibus. “The result is reduced reliance on fossil fuels and improved air quality, bringing the world closer to cleaner, zero-emissions cities.”
Through the partnership, Optibus’ software will support Enel X to further optimise eBus management for its customers in more than 20 countries, starting with a focus on Latin America, North America, and Europe, and the 1,800 eBuses served by Enel X in those regions. The global partnership will also include Australia, Korea, and other markets.
To support bus operators across the entire EV cycle, Enel X and Optibus will offer a holistic solution that integrates Enel X’s infrastructure network, spanning electric buses and vehicle leasing, chargers, and energy services, with Optibus’ cloud-based EV planning and scheduling software, encompassing transportation network modelling and optimisation capabilities, into a wider proposition for bus operators.
Fully electric, zero-emissions public transportation cannot be achieved by only replacing diesel-powered buses with electric ones. Just as much as bus operators need electric vehicles and chargers, they also need EV management software to ensure vehicle & charging station maintenance, coordinate charging times and locations, and optimise scheduling.
As one of the largest providers of advanced energy services and products worldwide, Enel X’s Ebus-as-a-Service (EaaS) model provides financing, smart charging, and energy services to over 1,300 electric buses in Latin America plus around 500 electric buses in Spain, Uruguay, and the USA. Given its success in these geographies, Enel X is also expanding its electrification solutions to other regions.
Using artificial intelligence (AI), advanced optimisation algorithms, and cloud computing, Optibus already powers 2.5 billion passenger trips annually and is used by leading EV fleet operators, including the US’s Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA), with over five million electric miles driven, and Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, which plans to replace its entire fleet of over 8,000 buses with zero-emissions vehicles by 2035.
