Title: Operational charging methods for electric buses: a case study for BRT Istanbul

Authors: Habib Kaymaz

Addresses: Mercedes Benz Turk, Bus Development, 34519, Istanbul/Turkey

Abstract: Buses still constitute an integral part of city and inter-city transportation although exhaust emissions of buses with conventional internal combustion engines are to blame for one of the major sources of urban pollution that causes the greenhouse effect leading to global warming. One of the reasonable solutions for the issue nowadays is the electrification of city buses. However, the high weight and cost of the batteries, which have not reached technological maturity yet, and the charging requirement are still the most important barriers to the electrification of city buses. In this study, alternative charging methods for battery electric buses are introduced. After given information about operational and opportunity charging, four data-driven charging options are proposed for bus rapid transit (BRT Istanbul). Results show that charging considering operating conditions and driving characteristics can help to reduce initial investment and operative costs. Thus, rollout of battery electric buses would be more attractive.

Keywords: battery-powered electric bus; BRT; bus rapid transit; charging methods; city transportation; electric bus.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2023.133000

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2023 Vol.30 No.3, pp.303 - 316

Received: 11 Oct 2022
Accepted: 19 Dec 2022
Published online: 23 Aug 2023 *

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