Life cycle assessment study on the public transport bus fleet electrification in the context of sustainable urban development strategy

Abstract

In this paper, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to investigate the environmental impact of the electrification of the urban bus fleet. Public bus transport in large urban agglomerations is one of the main sources of pollution. To reduce the generation of pollution, electrification of the bus fleet is considered as one of the potential solutions. The authors developed three models of buses with different power units: diesel bus, diesel hybrid bus, and electric bus. The impacts of model buses were analysed at the stage of their production and operation in the city, as well as the impact of diesel fuel and electricity production. Furthermore, a case study was conducted based on the example of the Polish city of Krakow, demonstrating three possible scenarios for the electrification of the urban bus fleet. Moreover, an analysis of the environmental impact of the current and future Polish national energy production system until 2040 was carried out. Using the IMPACT 2002+ Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) method, the results were reported in four damage endpoint categories: human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources. It was shown that increasing the share of electric buses in urban fleets can be highly beneficial in all four categories if the electricity used to power the electric buses is produced from enough low- and zero-emission energy sources. In addition, the level of environmental burden generated by the different phases of the life cycle of the bus was characterised. Overall, the advantages and possible problems of urban bus fleet electrification were highlighted, and recommendations for future sustainable development strategies were suggested. Thus, this study can be useful as an algorithm to support decision-making related to the electrification of city bus fleets.