Charging Ahead with E-Buses: Benefits, Costs, and Transition Roadmap

This paper reaches a recommendation for the 10-year e-bus transition roadmap for New York City. The lifecycle model of emission reduction demonstrates the ecological and financial impacts of a complete transition from the current diesel bus fleet to an all-electric bus fleet in New York City by 2033. This study focuses on the NOx pollution, which is the highest among all major cities by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and greenhouse gases (GHG) with annual emissions of over five million tons. Our model predicts that switching to an all-electric bus fleet will cut GHG emissions by over 390,000 tons and NOx emissions by over 1300 tons annually, in addition to other pollutants such as VOCs and PM 2.5. yielding an annual economic benefit of over 75.94 million USD. This aligns with the city mayor office’s initiative of achieving total carbon neutrality. We further model an optimized transition roadmap that balances ecological and long-term benefits against the costs of the transition, emphasizing feasibility and alignment with the natural replacement cycle of existing buses, ensuring a steady budgeting pattern to minimize interruptions and resistance. Finally, we advocate for collaboration between government agencies, public transportation authorities, and private sectors, including electric buses and charging facility manufacturers, which is essential for fostering innovation and reducing the costs associated with the transition to e-buses.

A Novel Braking Control Strategy for Hybrid Electric Buses Based on Vehicle Mass and Road Slope Estimation

Proper braking force distribution strategies can improve both stability and economy performance of hybrid electric vehicles,which is prominently proved by many studies.To achieve better dynamic stable performance and higher energy recovery efficiency,an effective braking control strategy for hybrid electric buses(HEB)based on vehicle mass and road slope estimation is proposed in this paper.Firstly,the road slope and the vehicle mass are estimated by a hybrid algorithm of extended Kalman filter(EKF)and recursive least square(RLS).Secondly,the total braking torque of HEB is calculated by the sliding mode controller(SMC),which uses the information of brake intensity,whole vehicle mass,and road slope.Finally,comprehensively considering driver’s braking intention and regulations of the Economic Commission for Europe(ECE),the optimal proportional relationship between regenerative braking and pneumatic braking is obtained.Furthermore,related simulations and experiments are carried out on the hardware-in-the-loop test bench.Results show that the proposed strategy can effectively improve the braking performance and increase the recovered energy through precise control of the braking torque.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENERGY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR PARALLEL HYBRID ELECTRIC URBAN BUSES

A novel parallel hybrid electrical urban bus （PHEUB） configuration consisting of an extra one-way clutch and an automatic mechanical transmission （AMT） is taken as the study subject. An energy management strategy combining a logic threshold approach and an instantaneous optimization algorithm is proposed for the investigated PHEUB. The objective of the energy management strategy is to achieve acceptable vehicle performance and drivability requirements while simultaneously maximizing the engine fuel consumption and maintaining the battery state of charge in its operation range at all times. Under the environment of Matlab/Simulink, a computer simulation model for the PHEUB is constructed by using the model building method combining theoretical analysis and bench test data. Simulation and experiment results for China Typical Bus Driving Schedule at Urban District （CTBDS_UD） are obtained, and the results indicate that the proposed control strategy not only controls the hybrid system efficiently but also improves the fuel economy significantly.

MPC‑Based Coordinated Control of Gear Shifting Process for a Power‑split Hybrid Electric Bus with a Clutchless AMT

Two-speed clutchless automated manual transmission(AMT)has been widely implemented in electric vehicles for its simple structure and low cost.In contrast,due to the complex response characteristics of powertrain,utilizing clutchless AMT in a hybrid power system comes with complex coordination control problems.In order to address these issues,a power-split hybrid electric bus with two-speed clutchless AMT is studied in this paper,and a coordinated control method based on model predictive control(MPC)is used in gear shifting control strategy(GSCS)to improve gear shifting quality and reduce system jerk.First,the dynamic model of power sources and other main powertrain components including a single planetary gear set and AMT are established on the basis of data-driven and mechanism modeling methods.Second,the GSCS is put forward using the segmented control idea,and the shifting process is divided into five phases,including(I)unloading of drive motor,(II)shifting to neutral gear,(III)active speed synchronization by drive motor,(IV)engaging to new gear,and(V)resuming the drive motor’s power,among which the phases I and V have evident impact on the system jerk.Then,the MPC-based control method is adopted for these phases,and the fast compensation of driving torque is realized by combining the prediction model and quadratic programming method.The simulation results show that the proposed GSCS can effectively reduce shift jerk and improve driving comfort.This research proposes a coordinated control strategy of two-speed clutchless AMT,which can effectively improve the smoothness of gear shifting and provides a reference for the application of two speed clutchless AMT in power-split hybrid powertrains.

DESIGN AND EXPERIMENT OF ELECTRIC BUS

Performance and reliability experiments on BJD-6100EV electric buses, jointlydeveloped by Beijing Institute of Technology and Beijing Public Transport Company, are introduced.Output power model of battery pack is established and maximum output power is analyzed. A permanentmagnetic direct current (PMDC) motor with enhanced windings is developed for the bus. Torque-speedcharacteristics of the motor are modeled and performance of electric bus is analyzed. Computationalmethod of the range of electric bus is proposed and discussed. Experiments show that electric buscan realize design requirements. Computational methods are verified with the help of field test. Itis expected that design and computation method will provide helpful reference to development ofelectric vehicles.

Analysis of Control Characteristic for the Drive System of Electric Transit Bus

The drive control system of the permanent magnetic direct current motor with the enhanced magnetism windings used in the electric transit bus is developed. The mathematics model of the drive control system for this motor is established. The new mode that the added exiting magnetism field could be weakened and the speed of the motor could be controlled automatically is proposed and realized. The method of root locus design is applied to analyze the acceleration control characteristic. The results of simulation show that the new drive motor control system has extraordinary response characteristic and adjustable performance. Experiments of vehicle running show that the drive control system's antijamming ability is strong and the adjustable performance is fast and smooth, it can meet the demand of power characteristic very well.

Operational program for proper capacity of electric bus charging station in Expo 2010

In the paper,an operational program of electric bus charging station is proposed,which is special for "The Construction Project for Expo 2010 Temporary Electric Bus Charging Station".Based on the quick-change mode,a vehicle operating schedule model has been established to meet the capacity of transport.Then,according to the quantity of passengers and utilization of batteries,a calculative method of parameters,such as the number of spare batteries and bus departure rules,has been provided.Furthermore,optimal simulation software designed for operating process of the charging station has been identified incorporating actual running data from electric buses and monitoring system of the charging station,and the rationality of the design is verified in the preliminary commissioning and the official operation.

Parameter optimization of electric bus transmission system based on dynamical evolutionary algorithm

The transmission ratio is the key parameters influence power performance and economic performance of electric vehicle （EV）. As a class of heuristic algorithms, Dynamical Evolutionary Algorithm （DEA） is suitable to solve multi-objective optimization problems. This paper presents a new method to optimize the transmission ratio using DEA. The fuzzy constraints and objective function of transmission ratio are established for parameter optimization problem of electric bus transmission. DEA is used to solve the optimiza- tion problem. The transmission system is also designed based on the optimization result. Optimization and test results show that the dynamical evolutionary algorithm is an effective method to solve transmission parameter optimization problems.

Modeling the Prospects of Plug-In Electric Buses to Reduce GHG Emissions and Cost While Meeting Route Demands: A Case Study of the “Unitrans” Bus Fleet Serving the Davis, California Urbanized Area

As university campuses look to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions, plug-in electric buses may provide a low carbon alternative to conventionally fossil-powered buses. This study investigates the viability for Unitrans, the bus service for the greater Davis area and the university campus, to replace current compressed natural gas buses with plug-in electric versions. This study presents an inventory of market available electric buses, their associated costs, incentives, and infrastructure concerns, and compares projected energy use, net present cost, and greenhouse gas emissions with their CNG counterparts. ADVISOR vehicle simulation software is used to estimate the energy use of a typical electric bus (New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 300 kW) and compare to the current CNG model (Orion V) along an actual Unitrans route. The model estimates that the selected bus can travel 146 miles on a single charge, with a fuel economy of 1.75 kWh per mile, which meets the service requirements. Results for bus replacement schedules between 5 and 49 in the 12-year analysis period indicate that between 1600 and 22,000 MT of carbon can be avoided. The net present cost analysis indicates that the potential savings from the replacement of a single CNG bus with an electric bus (with available incentives) ranges from $146,000 - $211,000 per bus over its lifetime, depending on infrastructure costs.

Coordinated Restoration Method for Electric Buses and Network Reconfigurations in Distribution Systems Under Extreme Events

Distribution systems are facing challenges in serving lifeline loads after extreme events.Network reconfiguration is a traditional and practical method for power supply restoration,which has strong but inflexible power transfer capabilities influenced by network topology.Multiple failures of utility power under extreme events will further limit the efficiency of network reconfiguration.Electric buses(EBs)can be utilized to achieve power supply considering their discharging capabilities as mobile storage devices.However,the mobility of EBs and the influences of transport systems must be carefully considered to enhance the resilience of distribution systems.Reconfiguration and EBs are complementary in terms of recovery capabilities and location flexibility,and more important loads can be recovered by the coordination between EBs and network reconfiguration.This paper proposes a coordinated restoration method for EBs and reconfigurations considering the influences of transport systems.The post-disaster restoration problem is formulated as a bi-level model,in which the network topology is optimized in the upperlevel aiming at maximizing restoration loads through the main grid and EBs,while the traffic paths of all EBs are optimized with the goal of maximizing the restoration loads by the EBs in the lower-level considering time consumption and energy consumption during movement.The PSO and a genetic algorithm are used to solve the proposed bi-level optimization problem.Simulation studies are performed to verify the superiority of the proposed method.

Reducing input/output current ripple for driving converter by multiple technology

To improve the vehicle dynamic performance and ultra-capacitor operating circumstance,this paper studied the multi-current-two-quadrant converter applied to drive high power DC motor in ultra-capacitor electric bus(UCEB).Compared with normal current-two-quadrant converter,the multi-current-two-quadrant converter can reduce the motor armature current ripple and the ultra-capacitor current ripple.Moreover,it improves power capabilities,reliability and fault tolerant capability of driving system.After analyzing the structure and working principle of the multi-current-two-quadrant converter,the expressions of armature current ripple and the quantitative relationships between the ultra-capacitor power loss and duty cycle were derived.The simulation and experimental results showed that the multi-current-two-quadrant converter has great advantages in reducing the armature current ripple and ultra-capacitor power loss,which can improve the vehicle performance and overall efficiency.

Vehicle and charging scheduling of electric bus fleets:A comprehensive review

Transit electrification has emerged as an unstoppable force,driven by the considerable environmental benefits it offers.However,the adoption of battery electric buses is still impeded by their limited flexibility,a constraint that necessitates adjustments to current bus scheduling plans.Consequently,this study aspires to offer a thorough review of articles focused on battery electric bus scheduling.Moreover,we provide a comprehensive review of 42 papers on electric bus scheduling and related studies,with a focus on the most recent developments and trends in this research domain.Despite this extensive review,our findings reveal a paucity of research that takes into account the robustness of electric bus scheduling.Furthermore,we highlight the critical areas of considering diverse charging modes in electric bus scheduling and integrated planning of electric buses,which have not been adequately explored but hold the potential to greatly boost the effectiveness of electric bus systems.Through this synthesis,we hope that readers could acquire a thorough comprehension of the studies in this field and be motivated to address the identified research gaps,thus propelling the progress of transit electrification.

Barriers and drivers for sustainable public transportation in Indian context

Rising negative externalities,including greenhouse gas emissions,climate change,and environmental pollution,shows the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly modes of transportation.Adopting zero-emission,environmentally friendly electric buses in public transportation systems can be an effective solution for both developing and developed countries,including India.While the Indian government is making numerous efforts to promote electric buses in commercial and public transportation systems,it faces several formidable obstacles.This research objective is to analyze and evaluate the primary factors influencing the adoption and usage of electric buses in the Indian public transportation system,within the limited available resources.A survey questionnaire is prepared with several perceptual subjects for the key perceived barriers.An empirical analysis using Structural Equation Modeling(SEM)is then performed to identify the critical barriers.The result of this study demonstrates that the infrastructural barriers substantially impact the adoption and utilization of electric buses.Further,the study provides critical insights and managerial implications for decision-makers.

A hybrid dynamic programming-rule based algorithm for real-time energy optimization of plug-in hybrid electric bus

The optimization of the control strategy of a plug-in hybrid electric bus(PHEB) for the repeatedly driven bus route is a key technique to improve the fuel economy. The widely used rule-based(RB) control strategy is lacking in the global optimization property, while the global optimization algorithms have an unacceptable computation complexity for real-time application. Therefore, a novel hybrid dynamic programming-rule based(DPRB) algorithm is brought forward to solve the global energy optimization problem in a real-time controller of PHEB. Firstly, a control grid is built up for a given typical city bus route, according to the station locations and discrete levels of battery state of charge(SOC). Moreover, the decision variables for the energy optimization at each point of the control grid might be deduced from an off-line dynamic programming(DP) with the historical running information of the driving cycle. Meanwhile, the genetic algorithm(GA) is adopted to replace the quantization process of DP permissible control set to reduce the computation burden. Secondly, with the optimized decision variables as control parameters according to the position and battery SOC of a PHEB, a RB control is used as an implementable controller for the energy management. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed DPRB might distribute electric energy more reasonably throughout the bus route, compared with the optimized RB. The proposed hybrid algorithm might give a practicable solution, which is a tradeoff between the applicability of RB and the global optimization property of DP.

Multi-objective parameter optimization for a single-shaft series-parallel plug-in hybrid electric bus using genetic algorithm

Recently, the single-shaft series-parallel powertrain of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Bus （PHEB） has become one of the most popu- lar powertrains due to its alterable operating modes, excellent fuel economy and strong adaptability for driving cycles. Never- theless, for configuring the PHEB with single-shaft series-parallel powertrain in the development stage, it still faces greater challenge than other configurations when choosing and matching the main component parameters. Motivated by this issue, a comprehensive multi-objectives optimization strategy based on Genetic Algorithm （GA） is developed for the PHEB with the typical powertrain. First, considering repeatability and regularity of bus route, the methods of off-line data processing and mathematical statistics are adopted, to obtain a representative driving cycle, which could well reflect the general characteristic of the real-world bus route. Then, the economical optimization objective is defined, which is consist of manufacturing costs of the key components and energy consumption, and combined with the dynamical optimization objective, a multi-objective op- timization function is put forward. Meanwhile, GA algorithm is used to optimize the parameters, for the optimal components combination of the novel series-parallel powertrain. Finally, a comparison with the prototype is carried out to verify the per- formance of the optimized powertrain along driving cycles. Simulation results indicate that the parameters of powertrain com- ponents obtained by the proposed comprehensive multi-objectives optimization strategy might get better fuel economy, meanwhile ensure the dynamic performance of PHEB. In contrast to the original, the costs declined by 18%. Hence, the strat- egy would provide a theoretical guidance on parameter selection for PHEB manufacturers.

Multi-objective Collaborative Optimization for the Lightweight Design of an Electric Bus Body Frame

To analyze the rollover safety,finite element models were established for the electric bus body frame,rollover simulation platform,living space,and bus rollover.The strength and stiffness of the body frame were calculated under four typical work-ing conditions considering the main low-order elastic modal characteristics.The results indicate that the initial body frame of the electric bus satisfies the required structural strength,stiffness,modes,and rollover safety,and it has great potential for lightweight design.Sensitivity and structural contribution analyses were performed to determine the design variables for lightweight optimization of the body frame,and a mathematical model was established for multi-objective collaborative optimization design of the electric bus.Then,the radial basis function neural network was used to approximate the optimiza-tion model.Besides,the accuracy of the approximate model was verified,and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II was employed to determine solutions for the lightweight optimization.Compared with the initial model,the mass of the optimized model is reduced by 240 kg(9.0%)without any changes in the materials of the body frame.

Optimal operating strategy of short turning lines for the battery electric bus system

Operating short turning line is an efficient strategy to satisfy the unevenly distributed demand during peak periods while reducing operational cost.However,for the battery electric bus(BEB)system,the application of the strategy is challenging due to the disadvantages of BEBs,such as limited driving mileage and long charging time.Improper vehicle configuration and charging scheduling may dramatically increase the operational cost and cut the benefits of these strategies.In this work,we propose a general framework to design an effective short turning strategy for the BEB system at a tactical planning level.First,the trade-off relationship between the battery capacity and the average trip time is identified by modeling the BEBs operations.Second,a microeconomic model is formulated to jointly optimize the frequencies and charging schedules of the whole bus line and the short turning line,to effectively minimize passengers’waiting time and operational cost.Finally,numerical experiments have been carried out for an illustrative linear line to demonstrate the potential benefits of the sub-line operating strategy compared with the normal operation.

Battery electric buses charging schedule optimization considering time-of-use electricity price

Purpose–This paper aims to optimize the charging schedule for battery electric buses(BEBs)to minimize the charging cost considering the time-ofuse electricity price.Design/methodology/approach–The BEBs charging schedule optimization problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model.The objective is to minimize the total charging cost of the BEB fleet.The charge decision of each BEB at the end of each trip is to be determined.Two types of constraints are adopted to ensure that the charging schedule meets the operational requirements of the BEB fleet and that the number of charging piles can meet the demand of the charging schedule.Findings–This paper conducts numerical cases to validate the effect of the proposed model based on the actual timetable and charging data of a bus line.The results show that the total charge cost with the optimized charging schedule is 15.56%lower than the actual total charge cost under given conditions.The results also suggest that increasing the number of charging piles can reduce the charging cost to some extent,which can provide a reference for planning the number of charging piles.Originality/value–Considering time-of-use electricity price in the BEBs charging schedule will not only reduce the operation cost of electric transit but also make the best use of electricity resources.

Trip energy consumption estimation for electric buses

This study aims to develop a trip energy consumption(TEC)estimation model for the electric bus(EB)fleet planning,operation,and life-cycle assessment.Leveraging the vast variations of temperature in Jilin Province,China,real-world data of 31 EBs operating in 14 months were collected with temperatures fluctuating from
27.0 to 35.0℃.TEC of an EB was divided into two parts,which are the energy required by the traction and battery thermal management system,and the energy required by the air conditioner(AC)system operation,respectively.The former was regressed by a logarithmic linear model with ambient temperature,curb weight,travel distance,and trip travel time as contributing factors.The optimum working temperature and regression parameters were obtained by combining Fibonacci and Weighted Least Square.The latter was estimated by the operation time of the AC system in cooling mode or heating mode.Model evaluation and sensitivity analysis were conducted.The results show that:(i)the mean absolute percentage error(MAPE)of the proposed model is 12.108%;(ii)the estimation accuracy of the model has a probability of 99.7814% meeting the requirements of EB fleet scheduling;(iii)the MAPE has a 1.746% reduction if considering passengers’boarding and alighting.

Optimal charging plan for electric bus considering time-of-day electricity tariff

Purpose–The purpose of this study is to develop an optimization method for charging plans with the implementation of time-of-day(TOD)electricity tariff,to reduce electricity bill.Design/methodology/approach–Two optimization models for charging plans respectively with fixed and stochastic trip travel times are developed,to minimize the electricity costs of daily operation of an electric bus.The charging time is taken as the optimization variable.The TOD electricity tariff is considered,and the energy consumption model is developed based on real operation data.An optimal charging plan provides charging times at bus idle times in operation hours during the whole day(charging time is 0 if the bus is not get charged at idle time)which ensure the regular operation of every trip served by this bus.Findings–The electricity costs of the bus route can be reduced by applying the optimal charging plans.Originality/value–This paper produces a viable option for transit agencies to reduce their operation costs.