King County Metro, INIT partnership works to improve electric fleet management with CarMedialab technology

King County Metro has entered a five-year partnership with INIT to provide an advanced vehicle health monitoring system and smart charge management system from CarMedialab, a member of the INIT Group. The cloud-based technologies will be conveyed across an initial 45 battery-powered electric buses and trolleybuses, eventually extending to a total of 500 battery electric coaches and 174 trolleys over the contract term.

The new partnership will help to enhance the efficiency and reliability of King County Metro's electric fleet operations.

"This RFP award for MOBILEcharge and MOBILEvhm enables King County Metro to deliver quality service with an electrified coach fleet," said Scott Niskanen, project manager at King County Metro. "This technology supports King County Metro’s mandate of zero-emissions by 2035 and is made possible through collaboration between [King County] Metro, KCIT, CarMediaLab and INIT."

By integrating MOBILEvhm software with INIT's existing onboard computers, King County Metro will be able to achieve real-time vehicle health monitoring, enabling proactive maintenance, reduced downtime and enhanced service reliability.

MOBILEcharge will also be implemented as a cloud solution equipping both existing and future charging stations. A total of 369 charging stations will be outfitted offering parallel, controlled and automated charging processes by connecting charging points, the electricity supply and operational information systems. MOBILEcharge will calculate King County Metro’s charging plans for all upcoming charging operations by load shifting.

The long-standing partnership between King County Metro and INIT began years ago with an Intermodal Transport Control System for full fleet operations. Then, in 2022, the regional ORCA fare system was launched, underscoring the success of a fully integrated ITS system.