On 19th and 20th September, during European mobility week, 18 drivers from 6 Czech public transport companies and 6 drivers from Bratislava and Košice participated in international tram drivers contest. This traditional international competition has been taking place since 1994. There were two categories for evaluation:1.    Individual category2.    Team category with mix team First part of the competition was dedicated to test the participants’ knowledge about rail rules. As there are some differences in national rail rules, there were two test versions, one for Czech competitors and second one for the Slovaks. The tests were corrected by colleagues from the DPMB Educational department.Then each participant had to pass practical part of the competition, the goal was to overcome all obstacles situated around tram depot as fast as possible. There were following tasks to complete:1.    drive through the narrow aisle,2.    stop the tram on exact place, 3.    reverse the tram in order to couple the tram with another one, 4.    control the speed when going thought switches, 5.   ...[more]

On 11 and 12 December 2014, the final ACTUATE partners meeting and public conference will take place in Brussels. The ACTUATE partners will combine the final meeting with a public conference which will be held on 12 December and is now open for registration. The conference will include various aspects of eco-driving for clean vehicles addressed by invited speakers, as well as by the ACTUATE project partners on training and education for eco-driving of clean vehicles implemented in their local contexts. Everyone interested in the future of electric public transport is invited to join the conference. As the coordinator of ACTUATE project, Rupprecht Consult will organize and moderate the entire event. More information and the draft agenda can be downloaded from here.  Please register here for particiating at this event. Participation is free of charge. Please note that registration is needed. Therefore please confirm your participation via e-mail to Gabi Wegeler at g.wegeler@rupprecht-consult.eu  or via fax to +49-221-60 60 55-29 by Friday 05 December 2014.  [more]

For the second time, the EBUS Award, i.e.the German Environmental Award for public local transport, was given to successful ebus projects and innovative products. The prize is awarded by Forum für Verkehr und Logistik, founded by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and insurance company DEVK. An expert panel under the patronage of German Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt.chose from numerous forward-thinking technical solutions and concepts for their operation.Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe were honoured for their concept of employee motivation, training and workplace safety.ABB Automation Products GmbH won in the categories "innovative components - drivetrain" and "innovative components - charging technology". In the latter category, Bombardier Transportation GmbH was also honoured with an award. Spheros Europa GmbH succeeded in the category air-conditioning and Braunschweiger Verkehrsbetriebe were first in "operational use of battery buses".[more]

In a collaborative research project lead by BMW, scientists have developed integrated systems which will help significantly extend the operational range of electric vehicles. The new efficiency management tool will also allow inexperienced or unskilled drivers of electric vehicles to extend the operational range of their vehicle by about 15%. The new tool will enable intelligent energy management and thus also help reduce energy consumption.    read more, in german availiable [more]

New findings: According to a recently conducted survey amongst 5000 public transport travelers in Leipzig (Germany), Brno (Czech Republic) and Parma (Italy), 80% said that they appreciate the efforts by their local operating companies to train staff on environmentally-friendly and economically-efficient driving methods. (In Parma the level of approval was even 96%!) From those surveyed in all three cities, two thirds would be willing to accept a slightly longer journey time in order to save energy and enhance sustainable mobility.  press release read all[more]

The public transport operator Trasporti Pubblici Parma (TEP) in Italy has developed a brand-new image campaign in order to promote the recent education program and training sessions which the staff members of the company completed. All drivers were trained on the concepts and actual techniques of energy-efficient driving, the reduction of energy consumption in public transportation and the enhancement of passenger comfort. Based on recent customer surveys and operational observations in Parma, it seems that both measures have already proven successful! 84% of passengers have stated that they would accept a slightly longer journey time in order to ensure an energy-efficient ride, while 74% of travelers generally find energy savings and environmental sustainability important!TEP promotes training sessions and education for a driving style that respects the environmentA correct driving style can reduce energy consumption as well as polluting emissionOur drivers attend training courses to improve their driving style“Come aboard! We are taking you towards a more sustainable future!”[more]

only for german speaking drivers:  Wir möchten Sie herzlich zu unserem „Train-the-trainer“ Workshop eco-driving von Straßenbahnen am 10.09.2014 – im Anschluss an die VDV Akademie (Fahrlehrer-Weiterbildung für Straßen-/Stadt- und U-Bahn am 08.09.2014 - 09.09.2014)- in Leipzig einladen.Nach Durchführung eines ersten Train-the-trainer Workshops, welches begeistert aufgenommen wurde, haben wir uns entschieden, weitere im September und Dezember 2014 zur Thematik eco-driving anzubieten.Der Workshop ist Bestandteil des europäischen Projektes ACTUATE  - Fortbildung für sicheres, wirtschaftliches Fahren elektrisch betriebener Fahrzeuge (http://www.ACTUATE-ecodriving.eu/index.php?id=2&L=1), von dem Sie evtl. bereits bei vorherigen Fahrlehrer-Weiterbildungen erfahren haben.Programmhinweise:Vorabendtreffen am 9. September (Uhrzeit und Ort wird noch rechtzeitig bekannt gegeben)Der Workshop startet am 10. September; Dauer: 9 Uhr bis ca. 15:00 Uhr (in den Räumlichkeiten der LAB an der Angerbrücke).Die Agenda wird folgende Punkte enthalten:Begrüßung und Einführung in das Projekt ACTUATEErläuterung und Hintergrundinformationen zur Erstellung des Trainingsprogramms und der...[more]

On 3 and 4 June 2014, the project partners gathered for a series of meetings in Brno, Czech Republic. After a review of previous achievements and results, the formal exchange of lessons learned took center stage. All participants shared information and know-how about the eco-driving training sessions which were held for trams, trolleybuses and hybrid vehicles. It is planned to actively use and apply the project results around the EU. Therefore it is all the more important that all partners can make their training results and lessons learned accessible to other public transport operators. Of course one must thereby take into consideration the different local parameters in each city. The results gathered quickly proved that the project goals of 3% energy savings for trams and 5% for diesel buses or electric buses such as hybrids or trolleys are realistic. Even greater energy savings could be achieved if modifications are made to timetables and journey times are slightly reduced. Almost all project participants consider the difficulty in reliably and consistently recording the degree of energy savings as the greatest challenge. The acquisition and installation of technical...[more]

According to the Austrian agricultural bulletin “Bauernzeitung”, drivers are the key factor to successfully implementing eco-friendly driving methods and saving substantial amounts of fuel.An illustration printed in the „Bauernzeitung“ shows the driving style and corresponding fuel consumption of three different drivers while operating a 99 kW tractor with a manual transmission. All drivers completed the same journey with the tractor and its loaded trailer. Driver 5 managed to use the least amount of fuel (37.5 liters per 100 km) by applying a speed of 28.4 km/h. The highest fuel consumption was caused by driver 7 (45.2 l/100 km) while driving at a speed of 34.8 km/h. In contrast, driver 2 operated his tractor at a speed of 38 km/h and only used 39.5 l/100 km. These findings thus show how driver 2 was much faster than driver 7, while even saving almost 6 liters of fuel. These excellent values are not coincidental, because driver 7 was directly applying eco-driving methods! He quickly shifted into a higher gear when accelerating; he only shifted into a lower gear on downhill gradients rather late and he avoided unnecessary breaking or accelerating when passing through towns, by...[more]

Vienna: The local public transport operator Wiener Linien has succeeded in reducing its energy consumption by 17%! A new study compiled by TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) on behalf of the municipal utilities company Wiener Stadtwerke shows that between 2005 and 2012 these significant energy savings were successfully achieved. Per passenger journey by subway, tramway or bus, Wiener Linien now only needs 0.55 instead of 0.66 kilowatt hours.Effective measures for energy efficiencyFor several years already, Wiener Linien has been implementing innovative and effective energy saving solutions, which are either simple or sophisticated in scope. Thanks to regenerative braking, all subway and tramway vehicles put energy back into the grid, whenever the drivers apply the brakes. New eco-driving techniques on the ULF type low-floor trams have also resulted in significant energy savings, as the staff has been methodically trained to accelerate less suddenly and thereby use less electricity. On the subway vehicles, newly installed computer software automatically regulates the speed according to the timetable and thereby helps optimize performance and power usage. Also...[more]