Possibilities for Developing Electromobility by Using Autonomously Powered Trolleybuses Based on the Example of Gdynia

Mikołaj Bartłomiejczyk and Marcin Połom
Additional contact information
Mikołaj Bartłomiejczyk: Department of Electrical Engineering of Transport, Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-216 Gdańsk, Poland
Marcin Połom: Department of Regional Development Geography, Institute of Geography, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-23

Abstract: Trolleybus transport refers to contemporary challenges related to a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases and CO 2 into the atmosphere formulated by international institutions, such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or the European Union. Departure from fossil fuels in urban transport is one of the key challenges for the coming years. Trolleybuses are an important tool in this task, even though their importance was declining in the past. Nowadays, due to, among others, technological development, in particular the availability of high-capacity batteries, their long life and low weight, trolleybus transport is becoming popular again. The use of the existing overhead contact infrastructure of the trolleybus network and small on-board batteries allow expanding the spatial accessibility of zero-emission public transport. Thus, this reduces the social differentiation in access to environmentally friendly transport that does not emit pollutants at the place of operation. The article presents possibilities of using on-board batteries in shaping trolleybus connections with the optimal use of the existing overhead contact lines (OHL). It presents a procedure that allows for the evaluation of the extent to which the OHL should cover the routes of bus lines in order to qualify for trolleybus service in the In-Motion-Charging (IMC) technology. Analysis of the literature shows inadequate scientific studies on combining the advantages of overhead wiring and the development of on-board battery technology in popularising zero-emission transport. This article addresses the key issues related to the use of partially autonomous trolleybuses.

Keywords: electromobility; trolleybus; autonomous vehicle; public transport; battery electric vehicle; electric vehicle; In-Motion Charging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/10/2971/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/10/2971/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:10:p:2971-:d:558778

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().