Assessing the Sustainability of Electric and Hybrid Buses: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach to Energy Consumption in Usage

Xiao Li, Balázs Horváth () and Ágoston Winkler
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Xiao Li: Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Transport Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Egyetem tér 1, 9026 Győr, Hungary
Balázs Horváth: Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Transport Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Egyetem tér 1, 9026 Győr, Hungary
Ágoston Winkler: Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Transport Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Egyetem tér 1, 9026 Győr, Hungary

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: The global adoption of battery electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as a substitute for internal combustion engine cars (ICEs) in various nations offers a substantial opportunity to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from land transportation. EVs are fitted with an energy conversion system that efficiently converts stored energy into propulsion, referred to as “tank-to-wheel (TTW) conversion”. Battery-electric vehicles have a significant advantage in that their exhaust system does not produce any pollutants. This hypothesis is equally relevant to public transport. Despite their higher upfront cost, electric buses contribute significantly to environmental sustainability during their operation. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental sustainability of electric buses during their operational phase by utilizing the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique. This paper used the MATLAB R2021b code to ascertain the mean load of the buses during their operation. The energy consumption of battery electric and hybrid electric buses was evaluated using the WLTP Class 2 standard, which refers to vehicles with a power-to-mass ratio between 22 and 34 W/kg, overing four speed phases (low, medium, high, extra high) with speeds up to 131.3 km/h. The code was used to calculate the energy consumption levels for the complete test cycle. The code adopts an idealized rectangular blind box model, disregarding the intricate design of contemporary buses to streamline the computational procedure. Simulating realistic test periods of 1800 s resulted in an average consumption of 1.451 kWh per km for electric buses and an average of 25.3 L per 100 km for hybrid buses. Finally, through an examination of the structure of the Hungarian power system utilization, it was demonstrated that electrification is a more appropriate method for achieving the emission reduction goals during the utilization phase.

Keywords: LCA; electric bus; hybrid bus; energy; BEV (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: 2025
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