Incorporation of Battery Electric Buses in the Operation of Intercity Bus Services

Abstract

The transition from diesel-based transit bus systems toward a zero-emission transportation system is a timely-topic that is currently supported by governmental and municipal investments across the globe. Prior research works as well as ongoing demonstration projects in the electrification of public bus networks prioritize the electrification of transit buses. In which, there is a gap in the literature in investigating the electrification of intercity bus systems. Unlike a transit bus service, which has frequent stops throughout a city or town, an intercity i.e., coach bus service generally has a single stop at one location in or near a city, and travels long distances via highway routes. To that end, this paper studies the energy consumption and design of charging stations to power electric intercity buses. The study is conducted for a real-world demonstration project that is planned by Metrolinx, a regional transit system serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) in Canada, to be deployed by 2019 in the GO Bus transit system. The study aims to investigate the double decker (DD) battery electric bus (BEB) energy consumption; plan for the BEBs operation service and charging scheduling; and conduct a cost analysis for the BEBs charging based on the wholesale and time of use electricity prices mechanism.