ViriCiti, the leading telematics provider for electric buses, will bring its world-class fleet management expertise to electric motorcoaches via its latest partnership with ABC Companies, exclusive distributor and reseller of Van Hool motorcoaches in North America.
The two companies announced that ABC Connect Telematics, which is used to manage all Van Hool CX45E electric motorcoaches, will be powered by ViriCiti. This comes as a result of a long-standing collaboration, where ViriCiti is already used to monitor 290 diesel and electric motorcoaches under the ABC Connect telematics program.
Efficiency as key focus
The battery electric motorcoaches, which are currently used for corporate commuter shuttle-service in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, will be closely monitored by ABC’s SVT (Specialty Vehicles and Technology) team to scrupulously study every kilowatt consumed during operation to understand and optimize the vehicle’s overall efficiency.
ABC Companies sees itself past the traditional role of resellers, the company being actively invested in optimizing and expediting the integration of zero emissions vehicles into their customers’ fleets.
“The ViriCiti telematics package seamlessly integrates vehicle performance and driver input monitoring, allowing our SVT team to expedite electric vehicle integration and training. This real time learning allows us to optimize factors which reduce operational costs to deliver real value for our customers. As an example, we have studied the impact drivers have over energy usage, as skilled drivers can measure their impact on overall range, energy consumption and ultimately savings,” stated Thom Peebles, Vice President Marketing, ABC Companies.
The best-in-class telematics
ViriCiti has been providing fleet telematics since 2012, their holistic platform covering vehicle monitoring, charger management, and more recently, microgrid integrations. The end-to-end platform, available for all vehicle and fuel types, provides best-in-class data and supports operators in achieving a centralized operation and their efficiency goals.
Using ViriCiti’s smart products, operators can reduce consumption by improving driver behavior, optimizing charging, and increasing battery health – all reducing costs in the short and long run.
In 2020, ViriCiti started the deployment of the world’s largest e-bus Smart Charging project (outside China) for Qbuzz Netherlands 1. Currently, its services are used by some of the largest operators in North America, like New York MTA, Chicago Transit Authority, LA Department of Transportation and Toronto Transit Authority.
“We are excited to partner up with ABC Companies. We think that our extensive expertise in e-mobility allows ABC Connect Telematics to hit the ground running and help their clients use their motorcoaches in the most efficient way.” – Trishan Peruma, Head of Business Development for North America, ViriCiti.
“The partnership with ViriCiti allows ABC Companies to accelerate real time vehicle monitoring, moving to predictive fleet optimization. The information available through the ViriCiti integration has driven tangible results for our customers and their operations,” continued Peebles.