Assessment of the municipal bus fleet electrification in Istanbul
Elena EroğluThe purpose of the study is to provide a holistic view of possible bus fleet replacement with an electrical one for the biggest city in Turkey - Istanbul. More specifically, the research looks at the compatibility of bus charging vs. schedule, and power requirements assess the impact of different battery capacity and provides financial analysis and estimation of the CO2 impact. The research focuses on the municipal bus fleet and takes as a base Kadıköy district of Istanbul. The data then is extrapolated proportionally to have an estimation for Istanbul. The result shows that available technology can be compatible with the busy schedule of the bus fleet. To reduce requirements for day charging batteries with different capacities ha been evaluated. From a financial perspective, analysis shows that while the electric bus fleet requires a high initial investment, the return on investment is between 6-8 years. The research also shows that while short-distance and not frequent trips should have an easier implementation from the technological perspective, it is the routes with a high daily distance that have the most financial potential. CO2 impact is taken from a tank-to-wheel perspective. It shows that even with today’s Turkey energy mix bus electrification would have a positive effect on CO2 reduction thus supporting Net Zero targets.
