Project Description

The Problem

Grand River Transit (GRT), the public transit agency for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, runs a number of smaller, mobility vehicles for specialty transit needs. Like many other transit agencies, these vehicles have a use case that means they can idle between 20-40% of their day.

These idle periods are typically moderate, ranging from 1 to 20 minutes, and are done for passenger comfort and electrical load requirements on the vehicle to load/unload passengers. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) recommend keeping idling below 30 seconds, but it can be challenging to manually manage the engine for these medium lengths of time. Excessive idling has a number of downsides:

  • Idling is Wasteful – An average sized North American mobility fleet can waste up to 40,000 L of diesel per year.

  • Idling is Damaging – Idling can cause vehicle wear and reduce the lifetime of the vehicle by years.

  • Idling is Prohibited – Municipalities are passing bylaws banning unnecessary idling every day.

The Solution

The fleet management team at GRT reached out to us to identify and then solve idling for their mobility vehicles in three phases.

Phase 1 - Research - 2018

Audesse logged over 2000 hours of conventional and mobility operational transit data to determine potential benefits. We found both vehicles idled significantly and could benefit from an automated idle system

Phase 2 - Initial Trial - 2019

Audesse installed a prototype version on a single mobility vehicle to test the real-world efficacy of the designed anti-idle system. This initial version worked successfully without a single driver complaint and proved the viability of the anti-idle system.

Phase 3 - Expanded Rollout - 2020

After the success of the initial trail, Audesse expanded the number of mobility units with anti-idle technology to six. The GRT now has a significantly lower idle times across a large proportion of its mobility fleet.

How Does It Work?

The anti-idle system automates OEM recommendations and ensures the vehicle remains comfortable for all passengers. Our system intelligently controls the vehicle to achieve the following benefits:

  • Intelligently and automatically reduce idling by up to 80% though controlling the engine (stop and restart) with no driver intervention.

  • Keep cabin temperature comfortable and interior/exterior lights on for visibility.
  • Ensure compliance with original equipment manufacturer guidelines.
  • Work seamlessly, requiring no additional staff training.

Results

How have the GRT Pilots gone?

In summer 2020, our team installed 6 anti-idle devices into high and low floor GM transit vehicles. This report details the pilot results:

  • The installation process
  • Initial performance based on published fleet policy
  • Optimized performance using our internet-enabled device

What’s Next?

Managing a public transit fleet is challenging.

Staying compliant with fleet policies, environmental policies, and minimizing fleet costs while simultaneously working with drivers can be extremely difficult to manage manually. Audesse makes automotive grade control and telematics simple and automated.

Are you a fleet manager looking for similar outcomes? Contact us for a personalized assessment of how we can make your life easier.