Abstract
Trolleybus transport is one of the classic means of public transport in cities. Its popularity varied in the past and was largely related to the fuel market situation. As fuel prices fell, electricity-powered transport lost popularity. The situation was similar during fuel crises. Trolleybuses gained in popularity then. Nowadays, the development of alternative power sources (APS) technology makes trolleybus transport partially independent of the overhead contact system, which is its great advantage. It is thus possible to develop trolleybus connections in areas where there is no justification for building overhead wiring infrastructure. The article analyses the development of on-board APS and their spatial diffusion in trolleybus systems in Europe. The main result of the research procedure indicates that the development of battery technologies, which could accelerate the closure of trolleybus transport due to the strong competition of electric buses not requiring an overhead contact line, allows for the dynamic development of this branch of transport. The situation in 71 trolleybus systems in Central and Western Europe which had any experience in the use of APS in 2011–2021 was examined. As a result of the analysis, the dynamics of APS diffusion were determined, in particular, a significant increase in the number of trolleybus systems using on-board batteries from 7 in 2011 to 44 in 2021.
Highlights
Nowadays, trolleybus transport plays an important role in shaping low-emission public transport
In the event of crises, trolleybuses grew in importance
A rolling stock reserve in the form of diesel buses was kept, which worsened the economic balance of trolleybus transport [3]
Summary
Trolleybus transport plays an important role in shaping low-emission public transport. This is largely due to modern technologies which have resulted in greater flexibility in shaping transport connections [1]. Vehicles equipped with alternative power sources have become more economical due to the lack of a need to maintain a constant reserve of diesel buses in the event of a power system failure or closure of a part of the route for traffic [3]. Due to the emission of pollutants and noise, trolleybuses equipped with diesel units, while having the advantage of flexibility, simultaneously had all the disadvantages of buses, but with a higher purchase cost. The energy accumulated in them did not violate the most important advantage of trolleybuses—the lack of emissions at the place of operation
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