ViaVan is a joint venture between Via and Mercedes-Benz Vans and an Uber rival in Europe. This mobility company has joined hands with Shell to launch an innovative electric mobility project in Amsterdam.
Well, this project will bring both ViaVan’s expertise in the on-demand mobility segment and Shell’s charging solution capabilities. Eventually, the partnership will let the companies demonstrate the viability of deploying shared, electric vehicle fleets in urban environments. This way, high-capacity electric vehicle fleets can deliver improved performance when routing to available chargers is optimised intelligently.
Intelligent EV Operating System
ViaVan has developed technology to enable electric vehicles that are a part of large-scale fleets to operate efficiently. Its EV Operating Systems is based on a powerful EV routing algorithm that maximises both the battery utilisation and range of electric vehicles.
The system will monitor the real-time battery status of the fleet’s electric vehicles, estimate the charging tasks, and route these vehicles intelligently to Shell charging stations. Passengers can book electric shared rides via the eVia request option on the ViaVan app.
Basically, the EV Operating System will integrate ViaVan’s on-demand technology and operations and “Shell Recharge” technology and charging station infrastructure into one seamless system.
Heavy investments in public charging infrastructure
Amsterdam is one of the few forward-thinking cities in Europe. The Dutch capital has made extensive investments in public charging infrastructure. The private vehicles, mobility companies, and geographically dispersed charging stations use this infrastructure efficiently. Moreover, using the EV Operating System lets municipalities gain further control of grid usage across the city with efficient on-demand use of the charging assets and better planning.
First city to get ViaVan’s shared-ride service!
Amsterdam is the first city in Europe to get both ViaVan’s shared ride service and Shell’s Technology Centre. The city aims to achieve zero-emission transport by 2025 and the partnership of ViaVan and Shell plays a major role in helping the city achieve this goal.
Main image picture credits: ViaVan
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