Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification
Abstract As global mandates drive emission reductions, public transport systems are adopting electric buses, requiring adjustments to vehicle and crew schedules due to limited range. Our study evaluates the impact of full electrification on the total cost of ownership and the number of vehicles and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44333-025-00030-y |
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| author | Hubert Maximilian Sistig Philipp Sinhuber Matthias Rogge Dirk Uwe Sauer |
| author_facet | Hubert Maximilian Sistig Philipp Sinhuber Matthias Rogge Dirk Uwe Sauer |
| author_sort | Hubert Maximilian Sistig |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As global mandates drive emission reductions, public transport systems are adopting electric buses, requiring adjustments to vehicle and crew schedules due to limited range. Our study evaluates the impact of full electrification on the total cost of ownership and the number of vehicles and drivers required across twenty representative transport networks in Germany. The results show an average cost increase of 12% and a 13% increase in the number of vehicles across all electric bus concepts evaluated. Additionally, paid driver time saw a modest increase of 2%, which resulted in less favorable distribution across duties, leading to a 6% rise in the number of duties. High charging powers provided more operational benefits than increases in battery capacity. The study suggests that while electrification incurs additional costs and organizational challenges, these are manageable with appropriate vehicle and crew schedule adjustments, supporting the technical and economic feasibility of transitioning to electric buses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e7fc3fb7ebd64f3fbb4cf4f91ffc1080 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 3004-8664 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport |
| spelling | doaj-art-e7fc3fb7ebd64f3fbb4cf4f91ffc10802025-08-20T03:07:44ZengNature Portfolionpj Sustainable Mobility and Transport3004-86642025-04-012111410.1038/s44333-025-00030-yEvaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrificationHubert Maximilian Sistig0Philipp Sinhuber1Matthias Rogge2Dirk Uwe Sauer3Chair for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems, Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA), RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 89ebusplan GmbH, Boxgraben 38ebusplan GmbH, Boxgraben 38Chair for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems, Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA), RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 89Abstract As global mandates drive emission reductions, public transport systems are adopting electric buses, requiring adjustments to vehicle and crew schedules due to limited range. Our study evaluates the impact of full electrification on the total cost of ownership and the number of vehicles and drivers required across twenty representative transport networks in Germany. The results show an average cost increase of 12% and a 13% increase in the number of vehicles across all electric bus concepts evaluated. Additionally, paid driver time saw a modest increase of 2%, which resulted in less favorable distribution across duties, leading to a 6% rise in the number of duties. High charging powers provided more operational benefits than increases in battery capacity. The study suggests that while electrification incurs additional costs and organizational challenges, these are manageable with appropriate vehicle and crew schedule adjustments, supporting the technical and economic feasibility of transitioning to electric buses.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44333-025-00030-y |
| spellingShingle | Hubert Maximilian Sistig Philipp Sinhuber Matthias Rogge Dirk Uwe Sauer Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport |
| title | Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| title_full | Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| title_short | Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| title_sort | evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44333-025-00030-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hubertmaximiliansistig evaluatingcostsandoperationsofpublicbusfleetelectrification AT philippsinhuber evaluatingcostsandoperationsofpublicbusfleetelectrification AT matthiasrogge evaluatingcostsandoperationsofpublicbusfleetelectrification AT dirkuwesauer evaluatingcostsandoperationsofpublicbusfleetelectrification |