Zero Emissions Bus Simulators

Simulation Training Use Cases

• New-Hire Training
• Requalification
• Remedial Training
• Recertification
• ZEB-Based Training
• Recruitment

BEB Operator Training

• Regenerative Braking and BEB Braking Techniques
• Battery Electric Bus Familiarization and Operation
• Battery Electric Bus Energy Consumption Optimization

Route-Specific BEB Operation Training

• Opportunity Charging
• Geosimilar and Geospecific Route Maps

To help agencies onboard their new training tool within an existing training program, FAAC provides a Certified TSI Instructor for an on-site two-day training review with the agency’s trainers. During this process, the FAAC trainer meets with agency instructors, reviews the existing curriculum, discusses the state of training, and helps your agency determine how to best implement simulation training within your existing framework. Your customized in-person onboarding has two phases:

PHASE 1: Discovery and Strategization

• Review existing program to understand the agency’s New-Hire, Remedial, and Refresher training
• Identify areas that might most benefit from simulation training
• Explore simulation scenario options and features that might fit these training goals

PHASE 2: Preparation and Integration

• Identify specific training scenarios that align with the curriculum
• Introduce training staff to simulation scenario editing and authoring tools
• Integrate new simulation technology into the existing training framework
• Train-the-Trainer: Hands-on work with agency training staff to ensure they are confident with these new simulation-based tools

FAAC’s included scenario library supports battery electric bus training objectives for common charging variants:

• New technology introduction and familiarization
• Target setting and charge scheduling with a focus on Opportunity Charging
• Vehicle fine positioning and parking

VITALS (Virtual Instructor Trainee Assessment and Learning System) is an interactive assessment application that records training performance. It allows the instructor to forecast student behavior and adjust training to meet that trainee’s needs.

The VITALS Dashboard is a graphical display with colored zones that can be seen in real-time from the Instructor Station during or after a training scenario. More than simply a “score sheet,” VITALS acts as an interactive playbook for the instructor. It helps them develop custom curricula for each trainee based on recognized best practices, agency policy, and that trainee’s specific strengths and areas of improvement.

• Standardized and objective assessments
• Train agency policy through engagement zones

The operator performance dashboard is a ZEB/BEB-specific addition to VITALS. It allows the instructor to track energy regen and energy use, which is essential when operating battery electric buses. This is a powerful tool for instructors in supporting electric vehicle driving best practices and in helping trainees understand the interplay of acceleration behavior, braking habits, driving tendencies, and the vehicle’s state of charge (SOC).

• Preparing operators to maximize the technology
• Train operator to think of regen management as “fueling” the battery electric bus (BEB)
• Identify driving behaviors and tendencies
• Improve BEB adaptive driving skills
• Allowing regen to work as intended
• Timing and learning the feel for BEB stopping distances
• Offset range anxiety
• Maintain a higher state of charge

The Student Drive History allows an instructor to review how and why a trainee earned a certain rating, and it can be custom-configured for each organization. VITALS retains all the historical information related to each drive and green, yellow, and red infractions. The Student Progression displays the variability in a student’s scores as they train in the simulator. 

• Confirm that learning has occurred 
• Monitor students’ learning progression over time
• Flag areas for improvement or ongoing difficulties