Evaluating costs and operations of public bus fleet electrification

Abstract As global mandates drive emission reductions, public transport systems are adopting electric buses, requiring adjustments to vehicle and crew schedules due to limited range. Our study evaluates the impact of full electrification on the total cost of ownership and the number of vehicles and drivers required across twenty representative transport networks in Germany. The results show an average cost increase of 12% and a 13% increase in the number of vehicles across all electric bus concepts evaluated. Additionally, paid driver time saw a modest increase of 2%, which resulted in less favorable distribution across duties, leading to a 6% rise in the number of duties. High charging powers provided more operational benefits than increases in battery capacity. The study suggests that while electrification incurs additional costs and organizational challenges, these are manageable with appropriate vehicle and crew schedule adjustments, supporting the technical and economic feasibility of transitioning to electric buses.