Bia is a key partner in the MÈRIDA project, an R&D initiative developing electric demand-responsive transport (DRT) solutions for rural areas. The project tackles the core challenges of accessibility, efficiency, and sustainability in low-density territories, where traditional public transport often falls short.
As part of a consortium of research centers and industry partners, we're helping design and test AI-driven mobility models that predict transport demand and dynamically optimize routes in real time, adapting operations to actual user needs and conditions on the ground.
Our contribution focuses on two capabilities at the heart of what we do: EV-demand-based power balancing and target SoC charge planning. The demand-based balancer dynamically reads each vehicle's admissible power and amperage in real time, differentiating between vehicle types and adapting charging setpoints to maximize charging speed without exceeding the site's electrical capacity. The target SoC feature integrates operational data from the DRT platform so that every vehicle reaches the right SoC by the time it needs to leave the depot.
The project also explores the integration of AI and blockchain to ensure data reliability and traceability across the mobility system.
