Evaluation of Different Scenarios to Switch the Whole Regional Bus Fleet of an Italian Alpine Region to Zero-Emission Buses

Public bus decarbonization is increasingly important to address the global issue of climate change. There are several challenges associated with large-scale introduction of zero-emission technologies in public fleets. This is especially the case in an extra-urban context, of mountain regions with challenging weather conditions. In this work the analysis of the state-of-the-art ZEBs, local bus lines, and timetables was performed to understand the best fit of technology-battery electric buses (BEBs) or fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs)-for each line in such a region. Further, a simulation tool was developed to calculate the compatibility of zero-emission technologies with the current needs of the public transportation considering distance, altitude difference, and climate conditions. The results show that a complete switch of the fleet is possible with a slight increase in the number of buses and that there is no clear difference in the distance covered in mountainous areas by BEBs versus FCEBs, but that both technologies can cover similar distances. The tool developed is not limited to bus fleets but can be applied to all kinds of fleets that cover clearly defined daily routes.

Automated summary

Public bus decarbonization is crucial in tackling global climate change, especially in extra-urban regions with challenging weather conditions. This study analyzes the best-fit technology (battery electric buses or fuel cell electric buses) for each bus line in a mountainous region by considering the state-of-the-art zero-emission buses, local bus lines, and timetables. A simulation tool is also developed to assess the compatibility of zero-emission technologies with distance, altitude difference, and climate conditions. The results show that a complete switch to zero-emission technologies is feasible with a slight increase in bus numbers, and both battery electric buses and fuel cell electric buses can cover similar distances in mountainous areas. The developed tool is applicable to all fleet types with clearly defined daily routes.