Empirical analysis of battery-electric bus transit operations in Portland, OR, USA

Abstract

This study aims to understand the difference in operational performance between electric, hybrid, and diesel buses in Portland, OR. We estimated a running time model, and a distance until a breakdown occurs model using ordinary least squares and multilevel regression frameworks. The results of the running time model suggest that electric buses are faster than diesel buses while controlling for all other operating characteristics. Whilst electric buses do break down sooner if the ramp is used more often, more stops made along the route served by the electric buses increase the distance traveled by the electric buses until a breakdown occurs. Public transport operators are encouraged to continue deploying electric buses, especially along shorter routes with numerous stops, and to undergo preventive maintenance every two weeks. It is also recommended to deploy electric buses to routes where the ramp use is known to be historically infrequent in the short term.