Environmental Impact of Electrification on Local Public Transport: Preliminary Study

Daniele Martini (), Pietro Bezzini and Michela Longo
Additional contact information
Daniele Martini: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Pietro Bezzini: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Michela Longo: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impact of diesel and electric buses, with a focus on pollutant emissions along a mixed urban–rural route in small urban settings. Utilizing a detailed simulation model, this research compares emissions from a diesel bus and an electric bus on a specific route in a small town in central Italy. Key findings reveal that electric buses significantly reduce local exhaust emissions but are not entirely emission-free, considering the full life cycle, including electricity generation. The Well-to-Wheel analysis shows lower CO 2 emissions for the electric bus compared with the diesel bus, with a substantial part of the emissions occurring at power generation facilities. Non-exhaust emissions, especially Total Suspended Particles, are similar for both bus types. This study highlights the advantages of adopting electric buses in urban areas to decrease local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, it also underscores the importance of cleaner electricity generation methods to fully leverage the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. The findings provide valuable insights for decision makers and urban planners in developing sustainable urban transportation systems.

Keywords: urban transportation; electric buses; diesel buses; Well-to-Wheel analysis; air pollution; greenhouse gas emissions; sustainable urban planning (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: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/5886/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/5886/ (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:17:y:2024:i:23:p:5886-:d:1527874

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 ().