Electrification of Transport Service Applied to Massawa-Asmara

Considering the proposed strict new constraints of public authorities, decarbonization has become a key trend in recent years. Although several countries have started the process of decarbonization through the introduction of electric vehicles in their public services, for many countries, especially developing countries, transportation is still a hard sector to decarbonize. The presence of obsolete and polluting vehicles discourages citizens from using public transport and thus incentivizes the use of private vehicles, which create traffic congestion and increase emissions. Based on these considerations, this paper aimed to implement a simulation for a public service in Eritrea, evaluating whether it is possible to take a long trip using an electric minibus. A case study is implemented highlighting the barriers of electrifying transportation in this area, producing results on fuel consumption and service reliability. In the case study, four scenarios are presented to estimate the service. The scenarios evaluate the possibility to perform from three to five recharges. Fewer charges mean longer charging time, leading to a 2 h charging phase in Scenario 1, while recharging more than twice along the route will lead to shorter 30 min charges, as in Scenario 3. The case study also highlights the relevance of the slope in electric vehicle performance, as reported for the case of Asmara-Massawa travel (E-cons= 6.688 kWh). Finally, an environmentally sustainable solution, such as a 92 kWh/day photovoltaic plant, is proposed to power the service.

Automated summary

Decarbonization has become a key trend, but transportation remains a challenging sector to decarbonize, especially in developing countries. Obsolete and polluting vehicles discourage the use of public transport and increase emissions. This study evaluates the feasibility of using an electric minibus for long trips in Eritrea and proposes an environmentally sustainable solution for powering public services.