Real-world Electric Bus Operation: Trend in Technology, Performance, Degradation, and Lifespan of Batteries

The working paper, identifies specific battery technologies that are preferred for powering e-buses in different geographical locations across the world and assesses their performance under different environmental conditions. The paper studies how different stress factors contribute to the ageing of batteries and their overall impact on the automotive life of e-bus batteries. It also provides insights on how battery degradation, can affect the battery and consequently the performance of an e-bus performance in the near term, and the battery life and economic viability of an e-bus in the long term. The analysis is followed by a series of recommendations to adopt best practices, improve planning, and devise policy, which will be instrumental in improving battery lifespan in countries like India, which are planning for large-scale adoption of e-buses for public transport.

The working paper is supported by the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), a leading global implementation initiative on sustainable mobility. The TUMI E-Bus Mission, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is working in 20 deep-dive cities to advance electric bus adoption across leading cities in the Global South. In India, the Mission is focused on Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

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