Pilot 1 – Alba Iulia Bus Depot (Alba Iulia, Romania)
Alba Iulia is a mid-sized Romanian city with a continental climate featuring moderate summers and cold winters and known for its smart mobility strategy and modern public transport network. Its main bus depot serves ~50,000 daily passengers and operates 13 electric buses.
What’s Being Demonstrated
- A BOZ e-bus equipped with semi-transparent and colored curved VIPV panels
- A PV charging hub with DC–DC converter + battery storage
- A 300 A fast charger feeding real-world performance and cost data
Objectives
- Test VIPV performance for 6–8 months under real operating conditions
- Optimize routes, PV charging, battery management, and grid interaction
- Support scalable, city-wide adoption
Key Goals
- Deliver 15–25% of the bus’s daily energy needs via VIPV
- Evaluate visual impact and passenger acceptance
- Demonstrate grid benefits such as peak-load reduction
Pilot 2 – ESHOT General Directorate, (Izmir, Türkiye)
Izmir is Türkiye’s third-largest city with over 4 million residents and a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters and a national leader in e-bus deployment. Its major depot handles ~1 million daily passengers and already uses rooftop solar powering parts of its charging network.
What’s Being Demonstrated
- A BOZ e-bus with VIPV panels integrated into Izmir’s 20-vehicle electric fleet
- A PV charging setup with battery storage and the AI-driven SUNTRANS platform
Objectives
- Validate solar-assisted e-bus operations over 6–8 months
- Improve energy efficiency through real-time solar charging
- Provide cost–benefit data aligned with the city’s electrification strategy
Key Goals
- Maximize solar-powered charging
- Reduce operational and peak-load costs
- Strengthen network resilience and cut CO₂ emissions
Pilot 3 – Bizkaigar Last-Mile Delivery Depot (Bilbao, Spain)
Bilbao, located in Spain’s northern Basque region, is a bustling urban center with around 350,000 inhabitants in the city proper and a temperate oceanic climate influenced by the nearby Atlantic. Bizkaigar operates medical-supply deliveries across the city with high-frequency stop-and-go routes.
What’s Being Demonstrated
- A mini-EV fitted with VIPV panels, compared to a non-solar control vehicle
- A compact PV charging hub with battery storage and AI-based fleet orchestration
Objectives
- Validate 10–15% daily solar offset under real commercial delivery conditions (12 months)
- Assess the business case for VIPV in last-mile logistics
- Test grid-friendly charging strategies, including peak shaving
Key Goals
- Demonstrate real cost savings
- Prove resilience under heavy partial shading