07/11/2022 Press Release PSI Receives Major Order from Belgian Transport Operator De Lijn

Depot and Charging Management System will Control E-Buses throughout Flanders

Berlin, July 11, 2022 – The Belgian public transport operator De Lijn has commissioned the PSI Group with the delivery of the depot and charging management system PSIebus. The system will dispatch, supply and control more than 2,000 buses at over 50 depots throughout Flanders. De Lijn is pushing ahead with the electrification of its buses and their depots, and will convert its entire diesel fleet to zero-emission drives by 2035.

PSIebus will coordinate and dispatch the vehicles and ensure that all buses are reliably ready to start their trips. All depot processes, from parking, supply and workshop, driver registration and vehicle allocation can be mapped in a digital system. The system also incorporates aspects such as the remaining range, the charging status and the required charging time into the charging planning.

The dispatching of the vehicles takes place within a few seconds and is based on PSI's own optimization software Qualicision, which determines the best possible solution in real time based on the operational constraints.

The integrated PSI charging management system controls the entire energy demand of a depot and monitors and controls the individual charging devices. In doing so, expensive peak loads are avoided and specifications of the network operator are taken into account.

The new system enables De Lijn to make optimal use of its vehicles and charging infrastructure and ensures the best possible vehicle availability. In addition, PSIebus can be operated on the IT side in accordance with the rules for the protection of critical infrastructure.

De Lijn operates an extensive scheduled bus and tram network and several fleet cars in the Flemish provinces in Belgium. The network comprises about 1000 lines, and the vehicle fleet includes 2250 buses and 400 fleet cars. Around 3.5 million people use public transport in the Flanders region every year.

The PSI Group develops its own software products for optimizing the flow of energy and materials for utilities (energy grids, energy trading, public transport) and industry (metals production, automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics). The industry-specific products, which are built from standard components, are sold both directly and via the multi-cloud PSI App Store and can also be customized by customers and partners themselves. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide.