Global (Commonwealth) _ In the global competition to promote decarbonization efforts through greener public transportation, buses may surpass passenger vehicles in terms of EV adoption. Furthermore, studies have shown that switching to shared public transportation instead of private automobiles can cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as two thirds for each passenger, per kilometer.
Therefore, according to recent estimates, in order to reach the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, the capacity of public transportation worldwide has to quadruple by 2030. Electric buses and other passenger transportation options are in high demand as electric vehicles are, and a significant growth in the number of EV bus fleets for both public and private usage is anticipated in ten years.
By 2032, around half of the world’s bus fleet and about three out of every four buses sold are expected to be fully battery-powered, according to predictions made in 2023. In the meanwhile, it will take longer for electric trucks and scooters to catch on, and the percentage of private cars powered by electricity worldwide is only predicted to reach 50% by the year 2020.
Up until recently, China accounted for the majority of orders for electric buses; but, since 2022, orders from other countries have increased significantly. Since the present generation of electric buses is better suited for short-distance travel and allows for charging at designated bus stops rather than independent charging stations, a large portion of orders originate at the municipal level.
By the end of the decade, the municipal administration in Berlin wants to replace 1,600 diesel buses with 1,700 electric ones. By 2040, New York intends to have 5,800 electric buses in service.
The market for electric buses is growing quickly in Europe in keeping with the EU’s green transition goals. In Europe, there are up to 87 million regular bus riders, demonstrating the potential impact of switching to electric vehicles for decarbonization initiatives.
In 2023, the number of electric bus registrations in the area increased by 53 percent, totaling 6,354 registered in the EU, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland. Compared to barely 15% in 2020, over 42% of city buses were zero-emission vehicles powered by hydrogen or battery electricity.
School and university districts in the United States are showing a special interest in electric buses. Oakland became the first school district in the United States to convert all 74 of its buses to electric power. The Oakland Unified School District stated in May that it will be collaborating with Zum, a student transportation provider, to resell energy from EV batteries to the California electricity grid. This school district will be the first to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bidirectional charging, which enables school buses to utilize Zum’s charging stations to transmit their battery power back to the grid.
According to the company’s estimations, this project may transfer 2.1 GW hours of energy annually from batteries to the grid. If the pilot is successful, it may be extended throughout the entire nation to include the fleet of about 10,000 school buses. Other districts in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Utah, and Virginia may soon follow suit, along with cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
With the goal of a bigger deployment of the vehicles in the upcoming years, Qatar is the Middle East’s most ambitious country when it comes to its plans for electric buses. The country has started an autonomous electric passenger transport pilot program. Furthermore, Lusail Bus Depot in Qatar, which can accommodate 478 vehicles, was recently certified by Guinness World Records as the biggest electric bus depot globally.
By 2030, the nation wants to transition to an all-electric bus fleet, with certain routes being run by autonomous buses. This is in line with regional objectives; during the next ten years, nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates likewise want to electrify their entire public transportation systems.
The demand for electric buses is rising along with the worldwide demand for private EVs. Globally, governments are seeking methods to reduce carbon emissions in compliance with climate commitments and promote a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. This involves shifting public transportation from fossil fuels to clean energy sources and green fuels. As municipal and national governments throughout the world make significant investments, we may anticipate a significant growth in the number of electric buses on the road in the future decades.
