Comparative assessment of zero emission electric and hydrogen buses in Australia

David A. Hensher, Edward Wei, Camila Balbontin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

The pace of direct electrification vs indirect electrification for public transit bus fleets is accelerating internationally. Clear targets have been established by transport policymakers to achieve a zero-emission bus target as early as 2030 in some jurisdictions. Two prominent choices are battery-driven electric buses and fuel-cell electric buses. We draw on evidence on these current and future developments to provide an assessment of the two types of technology on emission reduction, capital, maintenance and energy costs, and other aspects. We apply a decision support system to compare a number of scenarios for different electrification plans of bus fleets using Australian data. Comparing scenarios such as slow versus fast take up and different mixtures of energy technologies in future zero emission fleets provides evidence on the reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and costs in converting a diesel bus fleet to a fully green, at tailpipe, fleet.

Original languageEnglish
Article number103130
JournalTransportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Volume102
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Carbon dioxide emissions
  • Decision support system
  • Electric bus, fuel-cell electric bus
  • Electrification of bus fleet
  • Operating cost of a transit bus
  • Zero Emission Bus

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