Evaluating the sustainability of electric bus during operation using field data - A case study of electric buses in Guangzhou, China
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Infrastructure and environmental engineering (MPIEE), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Liu, Ziqi
Zhu, Minke
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Environmental sustainability is a crucial issue for all human beings, and vehicle emissions
significantly contribute to climate change. This has prompted many countries,
including China, to focus on electrifying transportation. This study evaluated the
sustainable performance of electric buses (EBs) in Guangzhou, China, by quantifying
their carbon dioxide emissions throughout their life cycle using a life cycle assessment
(LCA) methodology. The operation and charging phase is highlighted, with analysis
based on field data from over 500 electric buses in operation during 2021, where the
electricity consumption rate was 90.15 kWh/100km.
The results show that the life cycle CO2 emissions are 1097.07 g CO2/km/vehicle,
including stages of battery manufacturing, powertrain manufacturing, glider manufacturing
and assembly, operation and charging, and end-of-life. The operation and
charging stage contributes the most to the lifespan CO2 emissions at 69.6%, due to
the carbon-intensive energy mix of the local grid. Additionally, lifespan emissions of
EBs are predicted to be reduced by 15.28% by 2030, when China’s carbon peak goal
will be achieved. A comparison between EBs and conventional internal combustion
engine (ICE) buses demonstrates a significant reduction in CO2 emissions with EBs.
However, considering regional differences in grid carbon intensity across China, the
overall benefit of bus electrification depends on transitioning to a greener energy grid
nationwide. Therefore, the development of hybrid engines and improvements to the
energy grid are still crucial.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Electrical Bus (EB) , Electrical vehicles (EV) , GHG emissions , Vehicle emissions , Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) , Electrification of transportation