Abstract:

On the path to a low-carbon future, advancements in energy storage seem to be achieved on a nearly daily basis. However, for the use-case of sustainable transportation, only a handful of technologies can be considered, as these technologies must be reliable, economical, and suitable for transportation applications. This paper describes the characteristics and aging process of two well-established and commercially available technologies, namely Lithium-Ion batteries and supercaps, and one less known system, flywheel energy storage, in the context of public transit buses. Within this study, energy storage for sustainable transport applications was investigated with respect to service life. The theoretical background of different energy storage systems, as well as different use-cases were described in detail. For exemplary energy storage comparison and benchmarking, the use-case of a fully electric transit bus operating in urban public transportation was selected, whereas onboard energy storage and buffer energy storage inside the fast-charging station were considered.