Battery Electric Buses—State of the Practice (2018) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 125-189
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From page 125... ...
125 A p p e n d i x B Survey Results
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From page 126... ...
Fleet Information Transit Agency # BEBs Total Percentage 1 3 113 3% 2 1 1583 0.06% 3 30 370 8% 4 2 75 3% 5 2 68 3% 6 34 163 21% 7 16 31 52% 8 15 304 5% 9 6 66 9% 10 6 53 11% 11 3 1474 0.20% 12 5 681 1% 13 2 1870 0.11% 14 9 274 3% 15 4 185 2% 16 6 6 100% 17 14 105 13% 18 5 64 8% 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0-1% 2-10% 11-50% 51-100% Percentage of BEBs to Total Fleet Size Number of Agencies Transit Agency Information
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From page 127... ...
BEB Fleet Size Distribution Transit Agency # 35' 40' 60' Cutaway Other Total 1 - 3 - - - 3 2 - 1 - - - 1 3 15 15 - - - 30 4 - 2 - - - 2 5 - 2 - - - 2 6 - 21 13 - - 34 7 5 1 - - 10 16 8 9 6 - - - 15 9 - 6 - - - 6 10 5 1 - - - 6 11 - 3 - - - 3 12 - 5 - - - 5 13 - 2 - - - 2 14 9 - - - - 9 15 - - - - 4 4 16 5 1 - - - 6 17 - - - - 14 14 18 - - - - 5 5 Fleet Information Transit Agency # Total BEBs Total Buses Percent BEBs 1 3 113 3% 2 1 1583 0.1% 3 30 370 8% 4 2 75 3% 5 2 68 3% 6 34 163 21% 7 16 31 52% 8 15 304 5% 9 6 66 9% 10 6 53 11% 11 3 1474 0.2% 12 5 681 0.7% 13 2 1870 0.1% 14 9 274 3% 15 4 185 2% 16 6 6 100% 17 14 105 13% 18 5 64 8%
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Transit Agency Information 17% 39%22% 22% Procurement Standard bus procurement with suppliers competing through transit agency RFP. Through a federal or state competetive grant opportunity (i.e.
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Charging Characteristics 39% 50% 11% Route Charging Methods Depot Only Depot + On-route Overhead Conductive Depot + On-route Inductive/ Wireless Count: 18 Number of Chargers Minimum Average Maximum Number Agencies Responded Depot Only 1 10 89 17 On-route Overhead Conductive 1 2 5 9 On-route Inductive/ Wireless 1 7 13 2 Depot Overhead 1 1 1 1
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Charging Characteristics 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 <4 4-5 6-7 8-10 Hours Charging Charging Process Length at Night Number of Agencies n = 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 50-100 150-200 200-250 Battery Size (kWh) TAS: Traction Battery Size Number of Agencies n = 15
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05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Months TAR: Fleet Months in Service Fleet Characteristics n = 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Transit Agency #
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0200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1400000 Number of Miles TAS: Fleet Number of Miles Fleet Characteristics n = 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Transit Agency #
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Continuously Pulse Schedule82% 18% Bus Departures from Layover Locations Route Characteristics Average Route Characteristics Minimum Average Minimum Response Value Average Maximum Average Maximum Response Value Route Length (miles) 15 2 18 64 365 Daily Range (miles)
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02 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Did you previously do any maintenance on electric/hybrid vehicles? Did you have any existing high voltage infrastructure?
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02 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Provide audible or visual communication that the bus is approaching. Remote monitoring and control (charge fault notification, charge durations, shutdown capability, reset charge event)
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33% 17%17% 33% Charging Method Preference AC Charging DC Charging Don't Know No preference Agency Preferences n = 18 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Not Important (0-3) Important (4-7)
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What type of data/telemacs are you interested in? Select all that apply 94.1 94.1 94.1 88.2 23.5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Legend Value Percent Count Range anxiety related (state of charge, range to recharge, charger status, traffic status, etc.)
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From page 138... ...
Planning and Procurement
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Planning – Procurement General Slider Bar: How important do you believe continued public investment is to the deployment of BEBs? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Not Important (0-3)
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What incentives or drivers contributed to your agency's decision to purchase electric buses? Select all that apply.
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01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Was a life cycle cost analysis accomplished when procuring the BEBs? Did you factor electricity rates and/or demand charges into your decision to purchase BEBs?
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Months T r a n s i t A g e n c y # Traction Battery Warranty Base Warranty Extended Warranty n = 15
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Method Used Evaluation of range with respect to route needs Account for variables when verifying range Determination of charge method Used Agency Experience 56% 50% 50% Used Consultant 28% 33% 6% Used OEM Predictions 56% 50% 44% Operated demo bus on routes 56% 50% 11% Modeling and simulation 39% 33% 22% Evaluation Methods Utilized by Agencies to Determine Vehicle Specifications, Operational Requirements, and Route Selection
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How did you evaluate vehicle range with respect to your route needs? Check all that apply 55.6 27.8 55.6 55.6 38.9 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Used Agency experience Used Consultant Used OEM predictions Operated demo bus on routes Modeling and simulation Used Agency experience Used Consultant Used OEM predictions Operated demo bus on routes Modeling and simulation Value Percent Count Used Agency experience 55.6% 10 Used Consultant 27.8% 5 Used OEM predictions 55.6% 10 Operated demo bus on routes 55.6% 10 Modeling and simulation 38.9% 7 •
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How did you account for variables (such as ambient temperatures, battery degradation, bus loading, grades) when verifying range capabilities?
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How did you determine which charge method was right for your needs (depot, on-route - overhead conductive, on-route - wireless)
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How did you develop your electric bus specifications? Check all that apply 55.6 16.7 22.2 11.1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Develop your own procurement specifications Consultant Use other agency's procurement specifications Used a guide - Explain: Develop your own procurement specifications Consultant Use other agency's procurement specifications Used a guide - Explain: Value Percent Count Develop your own procurement specifications 55.6% 10 Consultant 16.7% 3 Use other agency's procurement specifications 22.2% 4 Used a guide - Explain: 11.1% 2 Other - Write In 22.2% 4 Other methods include: • Used current specifications as base • Only BEB manufacturer at that time & FTA grant allowed Sole Source • Procured the bus with the grant
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76% 24% Driver information and control over managing remaining range and battery SOC Drivers should have more information/ control Drivers should have less information/ control Driver Information 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Not Important (0-3) Important (4-7)
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How did you select the routes to place the BEBs on? Select all that apply 55.6 16.7 16.7 22.2 5.6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relied on transit planning experience Used Consultant Trial and error Modeling and simulation Other analytical methods Relied on transit planning experience Used Consultant Trial and error Modeling and simulation Other analytical methods Value Percent Count Relied on transit planning experience 55.6% 10 Used Consultant 16.7% 3 Trial and error 16.7% 3 Modeling and simulation 22.2% 4 Other analytical methods 5.6% 1 Other methods include: • Available funding for disadvantaged communities • Replacing pre-existing routes • Initially ran pilot testing outside of revenue service, then started on shorter-range routes.
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02 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Did you procure charging infrastructure with the vehicles under the same contract? Did you involve the local utility when making infrastructure procurement decisions?
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How did you coordinate deployment of infrastructure in conjunction with arrival of the BEBs? • Charger was installed before bus delivery • Scheduled construction milestones to coordinate with the BEB delivery schedule.
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Please describe what worked well and what didn't work well form your experience procuring infrastructure. Worked well: • Charger installation was smooth.
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82% 18% Who owns the on-route charging infrastructure? Agency, 9 Utility, 0 Public municipality, 2 Would you like to see the on-route infrastructure be made available to other medium and heavy duty vehicles?
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How did you select the location of your on-route charging stations? • We determined the transit center was the perfect location for the charging station since it was midpoint of the route.
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Where is the on-route charging infrastructure located? Select all that apply 27.3 72.7 36.4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Side of public street Transit center Agency owned property Side of public street Transit center Agency owned property Value Percent Count Side of public street 27.3% 3 Transit center 72.7% 8 Agency owned property 36.4% 4 Other location: • Mid-point of the route
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What type of entrance/exit do you use for on-route infrastructure? Select all that apply 30 20 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 On-road Pull-off lane Pull-in driveway On-road Pull-off lane Pull-in driveway Value Percent Count On-road 30.0% 3 Pull-off lane 20.0% 2 Pull-in driveway 30.0% 3 • •
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What alignment method for charging is used? 72.7 9.1 45.5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Visual cues on road or roadside Video cues on dash Semi-automated control Visual cues on road or roadside Video cues on dash Semi-automated control Value Percent Count Visual cues on road or roadside 72.7% 8 Video cues on dash 9.1% 1 Semi-automated control 45.5% 5 Other - Write In 18.2% 2
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45% 27% 18% 9% Street Traffic Density at the Infrastructure Location None Light Medium Heavy Planning – Deployment of On-Route Infrastructure n = 11 18% 18% 9% 55% Available Footprint at the Infrastructure Location Sidewalk space, 2 25 sqft, 0 50 sqft, 2 100 sqft, 0 150 sqft, 1 200 sqft or more, 6 n = 11
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01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Are there any clearance requirements or height restrictions surrounding curbside infrastructure? Was a height clearance restriction bar installed?
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55% 45% Flexibility to have irregular charge schedules Yes No 0% 55% 0% 45% Minutes of Charge Time per Hour at One Layover up to 5 mins 5-10 mins 10-15 mins more than 15 mins Scheduling n = 11 n = 11
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02 4 6 8 10 12 14 Did you plan in advance for scale up of your BEB fleet and associated charging infrastructure? Do you anticipate issues with having adequate physical space for charging BEBs at scale?
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How did you plan in advance for scale up of your BEB fleet and associated charging infrastructure? • Parking location and distance from utility service.
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Do you anticipate issues with having adequate electrical power for charging BEBs at scale? Yes: • At this time we are not sure if we have the appropriate electrical infrastructure at our bus depots.
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02 4 6 8 10 12 Bus OEM only Bus OEM, Transit Agency Equipment OEM, Bus OEM, Third Party, Transit Agency Equipment OEM, Bus OEM, Transit Agency Bus OEM, Third Party Third Party, Transit Agency Transit Agency Equipment OEM Equipment OEM, Bus OEM N u m b e r o f T r a n s i t A g e n c i e s Who provided operator and maintenance training? BEB Operators and Maintenance Training Charging Infrastructure Maintenance Training 61% 39% Were first responders trained on responding to BEB incidents?
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Training What worked well and didn't work well when training for BEBs? • Working with third party trainers worked well.
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Operations Experience n = 13 Reasons: Not Important: • It is much easier to plug in a BEB than fuel a CNG bus. • Redundant system, hasn't been used.
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Which of the following, if anything, did you have to change to accommodate the BEBs? Select all that apply 20 60 40 13.3 33.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Bus Blocking Schedule Layover Times Number of Buses Serving a Route Nothing Bus Blocking Schedule Layover Times Number of Buses Serving a Route Nothing Value Percent Count Bus Blocking 20.0% 3 Schedule 60.0% 9 Layover Times 40.0% 6 Number of Buses Serving a Route 13.3% 2 Other - Write In 13.3% 2 Nothing 33.3% 5
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05 10 15 20 25 30 35 M i s a l i g n m e n t B e h i n d S c h e d u l e B l o c k e d P a t h L o s s o f P o w e r t o C h a r g e r M e c h a n i c a l M a l f u n c t i o n o f C h a r g e r I n t e r f a c e P e r c e n t a g e o f C h a r g e s M i s s e d Causes of Missed On-Route Charges (%) How did you manage continued operations during missed charges?
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Please describe what worked well and what didn't work well when operating BEBs. • The good buses are very reliable, over 92% availability rate.
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Explain how the availability of the BEBs has affected operations. • High availability has been positive for ops.
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02 4 6 8 10 12 BEBs Depot Charging On-route Number of Transit Agencies After shakeout and initial deployment, what has been the availability of the BEBs and infrastructure during normal operating hours?
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Maintenance Experience 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Bus propulsion system preventative maintenance Bus propulsion system repair Charging infrastructure preventative maintenance Charging infrastructure repair P e r c e n t a g e o f T r a n s i t A g e n c i e s Who provides the following services and maintenance? Bus OEM Third Party Transit Agency: In-house n = 14
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Traction Battery Experience How do you track the degradation? • OEM tracks • OEM software/report • We have asked New Flyer to review recently; and they provide the current capacity vs.
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Spare Parts Requirements Explain • No transmission (for instance) , and brake life is longer with BEBs • already have same model year buses • No transmission or engine spare parts are needed.
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Please describe what worked well and what didn't work well when maintaining BEBs. • We had initial issues with the low voltage side of the system.
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Cost Experience
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Cost Tracking n = 13 n = 14 Costs ($/mile) Minimum Average Maximum Scheduled Maintenance $0.09 $0.36 $0.92 Unscheduled Maintenance $0.09 $0.28 $0.55 Fuel/electricity for BEB Fleet $0.27 $1.52 $0.47
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Explain costs and benefits • Electric bus maintenance and "fuel" costs are less than diesel. • The capital cost has to date been about 2:1 for BEBs.
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Capital Costs Operation and Maintenance Costs Life Cycle Costs P e r c e n t a g e o f T r a n s i t A g e n c i e s Cost Comparison: Actual BEB Cost to Original Budgeted Amount (%) Greater than Less than About the same Not sure n = 12 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Capital Costs Operation and Maintenance Costs Life Cycle Costs N u m b e r o f T r a n s i t A g e n c i e s Cost Comparison: Actual BEB Cost to Original Budgeted Amount (#)
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n = 12 n = 14 n = 14 Explain: Was it difficult selecting an optimum electricity rate structure for your services? Yes • We do not select our electric rate structure.
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Technical Support Tools n = 15 n = 15 What did you use? • OEM support and staff support.
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n = 15 Please describe those benefits. • We calculated the GHG emission reductions in utilizing BEBs in fully electrifying Line 291.
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Public Relations 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Negative (0-4) Positive (5-8)
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Resiliency and Emergencies n = 14 n = 7 Explain Yes: • We will be able to charge up to 25 buses at a time. Our BEB can be used in the case of an emergency as a power source VGI: V2B, V2L, V2G.
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Conclusion
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n = 14 n = 13 Explain: Do you plan to purchase additional BEBs? Yes: Foothill Transit has an order for 13 more 40 ft.
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Are there any lessons learned for management or motivation of the various stakeholder groups (utilities, operators, unions, communities, executive boards, regulatory agencies, etc.) to engage in BEB procurement and deployment?
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From page 188... ...
Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012)
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