At a time when electromobility is becoming more and more popular and available to public transport operators, the expectations of carriers towards the ordered products are growing. Hence, inter alia, turnkey solutions – covering orders not only for the electric vehicles, but also for the infrastructure necessary to charge them. This, in turn, is a new challenge for the producers of electric buses. Solaris offers services and products also in this area.
The electric bus market in Europe is constantly developing and transport operators are becoming more and more aware of their needs every year. The expectations of cities in the area of e-mobility are not limited only to ecological vehicles, but also to infrastructure and legislative solutions necessary for the electrification of the fleet.
The turnkey solution means that the manufacturer takes full responsibility not only for the delivery of vehicles, but also charging stations, and the execution of construction works. This includes obtaining the necessary documents, such as permits for land development or use of the charging infrastructure.
For the city and the transport operator – it is the comfort of concluding only one contract and receiving a comprehensively prepared and executed project. The market is growing so dynamically that everything indicates that the demand for similar projects will not decrease.
Three types of ‘turnkey’ projects can be distinguished, depending on the degree of producer’s involvement in works involving the provision of electric bus charging infrastructure.
Mini contracts
The first of them – the so-called “mini” contracts – are the least engaging for the manufacturer, whose role is limited to conducting the FAT test on electric buses – still on the premises of the production plant. During the FAT test, i.e. the Factory Acceptance Test, the correct communication between the charger and the vehicle is checked and whether the batteries respond appropriately to the charging connection. This test is performed for each electric bus contract and allows you to quickly diagnose any possible irregularities.
Midi contracts
Midi contracts cover a much wider scope of work. In the case of such contracts, the producer’s responsibility includes, inter alia, implementation of the charger-mast connection in the area indicated by the customer, as well as the development and implementation of the concept of construction and technical infrastructure.
Maxi contracts
The last type of contracts is the so-called “maxi” projects. When implementing similar contracts, the producer has the most tasks to be performed. The previously mentioned services also include construction works involving squares, roads, buildings or switchboards. The contractor is also responsible for obtaining all the necessary permits for the use of the charging infrastructure and its commissioning.
Turnkey contracts are certainly an attractive solution that is already used by many public transport carriers. Comprehensive order processing for electric buses imposes a number of completely new activities on vehicle manufacturers, but it can be expected that many city operators will use this type of contract. This solution is particularly convenient for a client who, by signing a contract with only one entity, obtains a guarantee of the entire service.
