Ember, the UK's first all-electric, intercity bus service, has been working with the School in a range of collaborative research projects led by Dr Goncalo Dos Reis. About EmberEmber is an Edinburgh-based electric intercity coach operator. We began collaborating with a 3-month PhD internship, with the aim to develop a solution method. This developed into an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer to Innovate grant (AKT2I) to integrate the initial proof of concept. We've successfully achieved an Impact Accelerated Account project for a Postdoctoral Research Associate that will develop and implement algorithms, and stress-test the algorithms in collaboration with Ember’s operations team. An Ember electric bus charging its battery for the way back to Edinburgh. Photo by Alessandro Ambrosetti (CC BY 2.0). Implementing optimisation software to aid Ember in scheduling operations of its electric buses2021Ember propose a 3-month PhD internship project2024Integtated initial proof of concept using an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer to Innovate (AKT2I) grant 2025EPSRC Impact Accelerated Account (IAA) project for a postdoctoral research associate that will develop and implement algorithms, and stress-test the algorithms in collaboration with Ember’s operations team. MotivationElectric buses pose unique challenges that are not faced by diesel-driven, inner-city vehicles. Ember brought two main questions for our experts to address: the first focusing on optimising bus schedules, and the second on optimising crew allocation. This would aid in allocating vehicles to specific services, for example, which buses to assign to specific charging stations.Our expertiseDr Gonçalo dos Reis is an expert in stochastic analysis, finance and numerical probability, interacting particle systems, mean-field models, numerical methods for (mean-field) SDEs. He develops and implements innovative optimisation software to support Ember in scheduling the operations of its rapidly growing fleet of electric buses.Gonçalo is also the School's Director of Sustainability, and is personally motivated to work with Ember as the first UK all-electric intercity bus company to help the UK reach its zero-emission target. Our researcher recommendationsThrough a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with our University, Ember sought to develop a vehicle scheduling model that took into account sufficient real-world constraints and functionality so it could serve as the primary decision engine for the allocation of vehicles to services. This included not only the assignment of buses to lines and battery charging stations but also the scheduling of various service activities, like maintenance, non-urgent repairs, and cleaning and washing.The successful development of such a model has given Ember the confidence to integrate it into their operational systems. The model’s vehicle allocation was used in the field for the whole fleet without encountering any issues. Following further validation of the model, the company expects to deploy the model as their core decision-making engine for vehicle assignment, allowing them to seamlessly and efficiently manage its fleet as they continue to scale. This project also acted as a springboard for an upcoming project, competitively funded, which the company is undertaking with the University of Edinburgh to develop novel optimisation algorithms for integrating the planning of further parts of their operation.Why work with us?If you're developing novel technology that requires significant innovation in machine learning, our researchers have access to the skills, systems, and structures you need.Our experts can understand what leading-edge research has been conducted in your area and have access to wider network of people with complementary knowledge and experience. We're keen to partner with ... like Ember, on problems relating to...To discuss any opportunities with us, please email our Business Development team:Email the Business Development team This article was published on 2025-09-04
