Viability and impact of existing urban minibus taxi mobility with electric vehicles

Sub-Sahara’s paratransit sector is yet to take off in the electrification of its minibus taxis. More than two thirds of daily commuters are transported by minibus taxis in cities. However, the electrification process is prohibited by multiple factors, such as an already fragile grid network, and an energy scarcity in the region. Planning for eventual electrification is further complicated by the sector’s unique, decentralised, unscheduled, and demand-driven nature. We use the concepts of vehicle-day and fleet-day to quantify the relationship between mobility and electricity demand, which are linked by the charging infrastructure and charging strategies. To investigate the effects of the charging requirements, data from 17 minibus taxis in Stellenbosch, South Africa was used with a bespoke software built to simulate the driving and charging of the taxis. Different charging rates (7.2 kW, 22 kW and 50 kW) were tested as well as having different charging locations, that of the depot and home and a combination of the two. The effectiveness of each scenario is assessed on the success rate of the vehicle-days. A depot charging rate of 22 kW had a success rate of 55%, with the furthest a vehicle can travel being 200 km. This increases with home charging to a 79% success rate (250 km), and can be further increased with 50 kW charging and home charging to 86% success rate (280 km). However, home-only charging provides comparable results and should be a consideration in the electric transition.