A European project aimed at improving battery safety in urban transport has launched with London as its first pilot city.
The European Urban Battery Safety Intelligence (EUBSI) project will examine whether battery, charging and operational data can provide earlier warnings of developing risks in public transport and micromobility fleets.
Data-led risk monitoring
The project’s Battery Safety Intelligence platform has been developed by Norwegian battery-safety technology company EPTTAS. It combines battery operating data with environmental information and artificial intelligence analysis.
According to the consortium, the system could give operators more time to stop charging, isolate a vehicle or take other action before a developing issue becomes a fire or wider incident.
In London, EUBSI will work with Transport for London (TfL) to define the data needed for the pilot and assess whether existing vehicle telematics and fleet management systems used by operators across the capital’s bus network are suitable.
Any wider deployment of devices or systems will depend on the evidence and lessons generated by the pilot, the consortium said.
Micromobility trials
EPTTAS is leading the consortium, which also includes TfL, the Danish Technological Institute, Acoustic Emission Service Oy and Ryde.
Ryde, described by the consortium as one of Europe’s largest micromobility operators, is the second pilot partner. The project will connect 25,000 of its e-scooters across Gothenburg, Berlin, Helsinki and Oslo, with that work starting alongside the London pilot.
EPTTAS is also formalising a separate partnership with Voi. However, Voi’s London operations under TfL’s rental e-scooter trial will not form part of the EUBSI project.
Robert Eriksen Jacobsen, chief executive and founder of EPTTAS, said: “London will give us the opportunity to test EUBSI and our technology in the context of a major public-transport system. By making better use of battery and operational data, we will give operators clearer sight of developing risks and more time to respond before they become fires or wider incidents.”
He added: “Our work with TfL in London and Ryde across Gothenburg, Berlin, Helsinki and Oslo will establish the data and integrations needed for this approach to work in day-to-day operations. The learning from these pilots will inform practical guidance for other cities and operators across Europe.”
Tobias Balchen, chief executive of Ryde, said the project would use real-world fleet data to investigate how developing risks could be identified earlier and contribute to safer micromobility operations.