Siemens’ new charging solution, Depot360, helps fleets to manage their charging needs and costs on a centralized platform

Siemens unveiled a new charging solution at Electric Autonomy‘s EV & Charging Expo today.

The program, called Depot360, is a one-stop-shop for logistics, municipal transit and private bus fleets with depot, warehouse and terminal facilities that require charging management.

“In the near future, many cities will only allow zero-emissions logistics vehicles into their centers, making the need to accelerate fleet electrification paramount,” said Thomas Kiessling, CTO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure, in a press statement.

“We have created an AI driven energy and charging management platform to operate electric fleet depots, further driving innovation in depot and warehouse infrastructure, Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and renewable energy integration.” 

The platform provides constant charger monitoring to allow for precise management and fast issue response. Support to address problems can occur remotely or onsite, if needed.

In addition, the software can control charging times based on the local electricity tariffs to ensure charging occurs when prices are lowest and when power generation is the cleanest.

Fleet tools

Initially, Depot360 will be available in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, UK, Sweden, and Norway.

Siemens’ Depot360 is charger agnostic — though the company also provides charging hardware, if needed. Once the charging hardware installation is complete, integrating the Depot360 platform can occur in a matter of weeks.

The point, says Siemens, is to offer fleets a fast and responsive tool that helps them optimize their charging activities “and ultimately provide full transparency into operations,” states company materials.

As well, the program aims to help fleets avoid costly pitfalls like triggering demand charges, which can balloon utility costs. And because the software is able to factor local electricity tariff rates into its algorithm, fleets will not only be able to track how much they are spending on power, but how much they are saving through optimizing their charging habits.

Fleets interested in Siemens’ platform are encouraged to visit the company’s website.