Impact of replacing ICE bus fleet with electric bus fleet in Africa: A lifetime assessment

Abstract

It is globally agreed that electrification of the transportation fleet will be a significant step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study assesses the impact of replacing internal combustion engine bus with electric bus fleets in African countries. The assessment includes the impact of solar charging of an electric bus fleet. Emission factors based on the energy mix in the various African countries were used to determine greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation. Data from a standard public bus fleet was used as a comparison for the internal combustion engine (ICE) fleet. Lifetime costs favor operating an electric bus by 62% and hybrid-electric bus by 50% when charging is done from the national grid. Solar charging has the potential to further reduce lifetime costs by at least 19% and at most 47%. ICE bus emits 3.46 times the emissions of an electric bus. If charging is done by solar, then ICE bus emits 329 times more. Since there is a significant tariff reduction for fuel compared to electricity in African countries, a recommendation is made to reverse this to promote the use of electric vehicles. It is recommended that government fleet transition to electric vehicles.