Vector, Hubject partner on e-bus charging system

Vector Informatik has expanded its vCharM charging and energy management system with VDV 261-compliant preconditioning capabilities for electric bus fleets. The collaboration with Hubject enables automated certificate management via a public key infrastructure (PKI), while Vector’s vCharM.edge hardware supports compliant communication within existing IPv4 networks.

VDV 261 preconditioning uses energy from the charging station to preheat or precool vehicle components before service begins, allowing e-buses to start routes fully charged with maximum usable energy available at departure. Vector says this improves vehicle range, operational planning reliability and day-to-day stability.

The company says vCharM is the first charging and energy management system of its kind to support automated generation of the required certificates via a public PKI, as well as their automatic installation on charging stations and backend systems. The vCharM.edge hardware integrates an IPv6-to-IPv4 proxy, allowing VDV 261-compliant communication without requiring transport operators to modify their existing network infrastructure.

In a statement, Christian Witt, Product Manager at Vector, said: “We are removing two of the biggest practical barriers to implementing VDV 261: complex certificate management and the requirement for IPv6 in typical IPv4 infrastructures. This allows transport operators to deploy significantly faster and to precondition vehicles efficiently with maximum available energy at departure.”

The new features are now fully integrated into Vector’s vCharM system and available to both new and existing customers.

Source: Vector