Mass Transit - 24

SPECIAL REPORT

Fuel Options

A LT E R N AT I V E F U E L S G A I N G R O U N D
REDUCING EMISSIONS CONTINUES TO BE AN INITIATIVE
shared by many public transit providers across the county
and is not exclusive to the bus market. Diesel once fueled
70 percent of the rubber-tired transit, it now hovers around
the 50 percent mark, according to data from the National
Transit Database. While much of this shift has been voluntary, some has been policy driven, such as the recent ruling
by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to require
the transition to transition to an all zero-emission bus fleet
in the state by 2040.

A large part of the reduced emissions conversation has
focused on battery-powered buses. APTA's 2018 Public
Transportation Fact Book says electric hybrid buses now
hold 16 percent of market share, while natural gas-powered
buses have 29.9 percent. Additionally, hydrogen-fuel cell
options have been the subject of research efforts such as
those announced by the Canadian Urban Transit Research
and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), which began a fouryear effort to develop new hydrogen fuel cell technology for
transit and automobile applications. 

Percentage of Total Miles by Fuel Types
Hydrogen

2010

Electric Battery
Liquified Petroleum Gasoline

2013

Hybrid Gasoline
2014

Liquified Natural Gas
Gasoline

2015

Hybrid Diesel
Compressed Natural Gas

2016

Diesel
2017

24 |

Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | APRIL/MAY 2019

Average MPG/MPGe*

15 MPGe

*kWh to MPGe calculated
by taking kWh multiplied by
33.705

NTD 2017 Fuel and Energy

8.7 MPG

4.4 MPGe
3.6 MPG

3.6 MPG
2.9 MPG 3.1 MPG
Electric Battery

FOR AGENCIES ENTERING THE ELECTRIFICATION PROCESS, THE JOURNEY
can be question-filled, especially because it requires an operational paradigm.
That's because the introduction of electric vehicles affects every aspect of a public transit agency's operation - planning, fleet monitoring, charging and range
management, personnel requirements and depot infrastructure to name a few.
The challenging scenarios e-buses present require altered or redesigned
planning processes. For instance, determining which routes the vehicles will
operate on and what the topology of the routes are is critical because battery
energy will drain faster if the route is hilly - versus primarily flat roads.
Understanding the type and range of the battery is also important because it
will determine whether the vehicle will be able to complete the distance of the
block before needing to be recharged. Passenger loads and environment must also
be taken into consideration. More riders will cause the vehicle to consume more
energy, as well as extreme temperatures because the vehicle will require the use
of air conditioning or heating.
Read the complete article on how to plan and prepare for the electric revolution at MassTransitmag.com/21073372.

NTD Revenue Vehicle Inventory

Electric
Propulsion

E-B U S CH A R G E
MANAGEMENT BEGINS
WITH PLANNING

100

Other Fuel

80

Compressed
Natural Gas

60

Liquified
Petroleum Gas

40

Gasoline

20

Diesel

0
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