Above and Beyond the Warranty

Last month, I moderated a lively panel discussion at the California Transit Association Conference called ‘Above and Beyond the Warranty.’?The panelists included Steve Schupak Mark Fisher , Mike Finnern and Tom Pascarella (San Diego MTS).??

The session focused on the experiences of early zero emission bus (ZEB) adopters, and how bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and transit agencies can work together with regards to ZEBs for the betterment of the transit industry. I asked the questions, the panelists provided answers.

What is currently working between OEMs and Transit Agencies in ZEB Deployments? The panelists stated that the most successful ZEB deployments to date have been ones where staff training was provided early, even before the buses were delivered.?They also felt that the most successful deployments have been the ones where transit agencies ‘dive in’ and take ownership of the process. “It is vital to find champions across every department in a transit agency – operations, planning, maintenance, etc. – and focus on training those individuals.”?One panelist suggested that the most successful ZEB training programs have included three integrated approaches: traditional classroom, hands-on and peer-to-peer interaction. ?Last, the most successful deployments have been those where there has been honest collaboration and information sharing, up and downstream between all stakeholders.

What is currently working not between OEMs and Transit Agencies in ZEB Deployments? The panelists provided mixed insights on areas for improvement in ZEB deployments.?One panelist felt that the current lead time for replacement parts is excessive and needs to be improved.?The same panelist also stated that it is difficult to keep in-house maintenance staff up to date with this rapidly changing technology.?Overall, the panel felt that there is room there for OEMs to help keep transit agency maintenance staff current on technology developments. Another panelist highlighted that there can be communication challenges between electric buses and chargers as well as issues with charging rates - 'finger pointing often occurs here.' Further collaboration is needed between bus OEMs and equipment OEMs outside of transit agencies to address these issues.?Panelists felt that the right cross-function of individuals was not being brought in early enough into the process – discussions need to commence long before the buses arrive on property. ?

Why isn’t a 12-year battery warranty standard on all new ZEBs? One panelist felt that the industry still doesn’t understand battery life expectancies well nor the best way to manage their health. Another panelist said, ‘this is something that is still evolving.’?Transit agencies still do not understand what battery pack defects would be covered in a failure event. They questioned whether degradation to 70-80% of initial battery pack capacity after 6 to 7 years is an acceptable standard or whether there should be stricter tolerances. One of the panelists felt that over time, transit agencies will build up confidence in battery capacities and range anxiety; so far, he felt that batteries are holding up well for early adopters.?Collectively, the panelists felt that over time, a standardized degradation curve would be developed that could be adopted for future ZEB procurements. One speaker mentioned that with projected decreases in the price per kWh of battery packs, the industry still doesn’t know if there is value in buying a 12-year warranty today – ‘it may not be worth it.’ ????

Should we standardize reporting and the data coming off ZEBs? ‘Great idea.’ ?The panelists all felt ZEB data needs to be standardized. While they recognize that vendors have intellectual property to guard, standardized information needs to be made available to enable transit agencies to manage their operations and assets. One panelist suggested that OEMs could also improve their products with the data coming off the buses. The panel suggested that third party data aggregators, could help bridge some of those challenges. “…there needs to be a focus on the right data, at the right time and in the right place….”? Another panelist cited difficulties with their software platform where error codes were being reported, but they were not intuitive.?The transit agency needs to call the vendor often to “decipher the code and in turn, understand the data.”?This panelist also suggested it would be helpful for vendors to provide ‘troubleshooting trees’ beforehand about voltage ranges and other helpful facts.?

Should we change how we buy buses?? The discussion here focused on whether transit agencies should embrace performance-based procurements versus detailed specifications. ‘Let them drive this’ quipped one panelist, suggesting OEMs are in a better place to design the best ZEB. Another panelist said that while procurements are becoming more performance-based, there is some concern about the reliability of unproven products. Another panelist mentioned that supply chain challenges occur when parts are not standardized – it also makes warranties harder to administer which is ultimately priced into vehicles.?In all situations, two-way communication was cited as being key between OEMs and agencies. ?Another panelist suggested that the APTA standard bus procurement is trending towards performance-based specifications.

What are transit agencies not doing today that they should be doing to support ZEB deployments? Bus OEM panelists felt that transit agencies need to take ownership of ZEBs early and nominate champions who have accountability for their success.?They also felt there is an opportunity to work with training institutions to ensure all staff have base skills before buses arrive.?Bus OEMs have found at times that when they deliver ZEBs, transit agency staff are not proficient in base skills like understanding voltage, which makes it difficult for them to provide advanced training on bus maintenance. ?In addition, bus OEM panelists noted that sometimes transit agencies do not file warranty claims for ZEB repairs, they just take care of them.?This is an issue for bus OEMs since they don’t know about them and therefore cannot determine root causes of failures. Overall, bus OEMs stressed the need for an ongoing relationship throughout the life of vehicle and not just for the warranty period - this would help everyone.

What are OEMs not doing today that they should be doing to support ZEB deployments? Transit agency panelists suggested that OEMs need to enhance battery safety, improve fire detection, and fire suppression systems. While they recognize that advancements are being made, there is a need for more effort to be put into this they felt. ?Last, transit agency panelists expressed the desire for a one-to-one ZEB replacement.?