This study aims to analyze charging strategy of battery electric bus (BEB) considering both economic and environmental impacts. Case study is conducted for one bus garage of NJ Transit with buses having long interstate routes. BEB power consumption data were collected to develop a regression model using temperature and speed as explanatory variables. The charging strategy necessary for transition to BEB fleets while maintaining the current service level was developed for four scenarios: depot charging with increased fleet size, opportunity charging with fast plug-in charger, opportunity charging with wireless power transfer, and opportunity charging with pantograph. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was performed to calculate the initial investment and cumulative net present value for each scenario. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed based on cumulative energy demand (CED) and greenhouse gas emission (GHG). Results indicate that fast plug-in opportunity charging is the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution, benefiting from low charger costs and smaller battery sizes due to mid-route charging. Increased fleet size would cause the highest environmental impact, primarily due to the larger number of buses and batteries required. While the methodology and general conclusions may inform similar evaluations across other NJ Transit garages, specific analysis for each location is necessary due to operational and scheduling differences.
Soares et al. (Tue,) studied this question.