Simulation of an electric transportation system at The Ohio State University

Abstract

We use longitudinal dynamics and simulation models to study the feasibility of deploying electric buses in place of conventional ones. The longitudinal dynamics model estimates energy use by an electric bus operating on different lines consisting of a mixture of urban and suburban driving. The simulation model is used to study the effect of the type and number of chargers deployed and the queuing policy used on queuing and charging times when buses must recharge their batteries. We use a case study based on the bus service operated on The Ohio State University campus and focus on six of the seven lines which operate around the center of campus. We demonstrate that all 22 of the buses on these lines can be made electric and that one 500kW or two 250kW chargers are sufficient to maintain reasonable service frequencies.