Abstract:

This report analyzes operational feasibility and life cycle cost of battery electric busses (BEBs) that are proposed to replace diesel busses currently operated by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) in Surat, India. Using a backwards-looking model, NREL and its partners used GPS data collected in the current bus routes to determine power requirements for BEBs. The report provides a range of power requirements under various operational conditions, and modeled battery degradation for several battery chemistries using the Battery Lifetime Analysis and Simulation Tool (BLAST) model. The life cycle cost analysis predicted that SMC could feasibly electrify several routes and reduce operational costs.