The electromobility ecosystem

One way a local government or public transport authority can initiate an e-mobility transformation is a direct one-to-one replacement of diesel buses with electric vehicles. If you have access to operators that know how to keep vehicle fleets rolling and already operate the current routes, theoretically you can just prepare a request for electric buses that specifies large enough battery capacity, then sort out charging solutions in the depots and go for the smallest price tag.

In the best-case version of this scenario, the operator gets an electric fleet that can manage essentially the same job as before – at a higher cost, but with zero tailpipe emissions and less noise. This is fully in line with political objectives that aim for more sustainable cities through a sustainable public transport system. But for a public transport system to utilize the full sustainability potential of their electromobility investments, e-mobility needs to be seen as a new system that’s capable of other achievements than the old system was.

This could mean structuring public transport differently, with routes redesigned to better align with urban development plans, re-evaluating peak and off-peak schedules to maximize operational efficiency, or re-envisioning battery charging options

To make the right choices, a city or a region needs to decide where to set the bar: at zero tailpipe exhaust emissions, or at sustainability throughout the lifecycle of the public transport system. Widening the perception of electromobility beyond the vehicles allows us to consider the effects generated by the e-mobility transformation – both upstream in production, as well as downstream during its lifetime of operation, through to end-of-life.

In addition to electric buses, a public transport operator needs innovative charging solutions, smart route planning, well-trained drivers, and access to sustainable energy. It’s an ecosystem of responsibilities and relationships that need to work together. Thinking in this way can help maximize the many advantages of electrification, because a public transport system is part of a bigger system – the infrastructure of a society. Electrifying public transportation can therefore never take place in a vacuum; to flourish, it must engage with all elements of the electromobility ecosystem.

Everything counts in an ecosystem

What does it mean to treat an e-mobility transformation as an ecosystem? It means thinking about electrified public transport as deeply interwoven with urban or regional energy systems, charging infrastructure, traffic management, planning, and long-term development strategies. Because just like a natural ecosystem, an electromobility system has interconnected – and interdependent – parts. They all need to be considered in order for the whole to thrive.

So who are the stakeholders in the e-mobility ecosystem and what are their roles? The list of stakeholders varies between countries and regions, but generally includes:

All these elements are interconnected and interdependent, to various extents. An e-mobility transformation is therefore necessarily more complex than bus procurement; for any public transport authority that aims to use taxpayers’ money in a responsible way and meet real-world targets on emissions and sustainability, it is crucial to consider the ecosystem framework for electromobility.

A thriving electromobility ecosystem means foregrounding lifetime sustainability

One of the most common conceptions about e-mobility is that it is inherently expensive, making it tempting to cut corners in the wrong places. Doing this might save money initially, but further down the road it could have larger costs – environmentally and economically. When calculating how an e-mobility transformation affects sustainability, it’s important to think outside of tailpipe exhaust emissions and consider the full life cycle value.

If we go beyond tailpipe emissions and, instead, use a a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to calculate the footprint of a public transport system over its full lifetime, it’s possible to evaluate how sustainable it truly is. To do this, it’s essential to include the entire value chain: extraction and refining of raw materials; production of components; years of product wear, tear, and maintenance; and, finally, the end-of-life process.

Here, everything counts: material, energy and people. An LCA analysis assesses the energy and other resources used for extracting and processing materials, the working conditions and emissions during manufacturing, and the type of energy used for operation throughout the product’s lifetime. It also considers how components are reused and materials are recycled when all aspects of the vehicle and the system – bus energy storage, the rest of the vehicle, charging equipment, and parts of the electric grid – reach end-of-life.

From a lifetime perspective on sustainability, the use of resources is particularly interesting in a tender or procurement process context – especially when considering the energy capacity and operating range of an electric bus. Energy storage is one of the most resource-intensive parts of any electric vehicle; it’s the reason that an electric bus leaves the assembly line with an environmental footprint bigger than an equivalent bus with a combustion engine. That difference evens out over time: the longer the vehicle is used, the greater the sustainability advantage from the electric vehicle.

Vehicle size matters here too: an electric bus battery holds about six to eight times as much energy as an average electric car battery, meaning it takes about six to eight times as many resources to manufacture. If it were possible to use a smaller energy storage, it would greatly reduce the environmental footprint of producing a bus. And it is possible – if we look at energy and battery charging from another perspective.

Procurement as part of the electromobility ecosystem

In tenders and other procurement processes for electromobility, it has become common to specify a certain minimum energy storage capacity, rather than specifying the range-per-day capability of the vehicle. The specified storage capacity is generally based on the routes that are to be operated, assumes the bus will charge overnight in the depot, and adds a safety margin to avoid battery drainage in low temperatures or other extreme conditions.

This way of managing energy capacity is perfectly reasonable, but it does come with drawbacks. We know that battery capacity is costly and that adding more capacity makes batteries even more expensive. Specifying high energy storage capacity can therefore make it more difficult to manage the investments needed for an e-mobility transition. On top of that, higher-capacity batteries are heavy and increase the operating weight of the bus. This results not only in higher energy consumption, but also in increased wear on vehicles and roads, as well as reduced passenger capacity.

Overall, this means that when tenders or other procurement requirements aim for operational peace of mind via high minimum energy storage capacity, the buses add weight, get more expensive, and require more resources. Fortunately, we can address this challenge by changing the way charging is managed.

Instead of aiming for energy storage that lasts a full operating day, it’s possible to reduce battery capacity and charge en route during the day. The OppCharge standard, initiated by Volvo, enables automated and fast high-capacity charging during the route or at the last stop. This not only reduces battery weight and expense, it also distributes charging peaks throughout the day instead of concentrating them during a few hours at night, translating into a more efficient use of the energy grid. PTAs which consider en route charging take advantage of ecosystem thinking to give themselves more options for using taxpayer resources efficiently and effectively.

Charging strategy choices and energy capacity optimization can therefore significantly impact the lifetime environmental footprint of an electrified public transport solution. For operators who invest in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) work, this can provide a strong competitive edge in procurement processes where a lifecycle perspective on environmental sustainability is prioritized.

Partnership is the new leadership

Electrified public transport is a key tool for cities, regions, and countries to meet the sustainability targets which are set high on the political agenda, but a move to electromobility goes beyond switching one type of vehicle for another. Electric buses require carefully planned charging infrastructure, including a grid with the right capacity and charging devices with matching performance in the right locations along the routes.

The exciting shift to electromobility is a collaborative transformation that depends on the convergence of technology, policy, people, and infrastructure. When politicians, energy and charging providers, public transport authorities and operators, driver’s organizations and vehicle manufacturers all work together to treat electric public transport as an ecosystem, new competencies can be developed – and new opportunities found. Everyone working on their own in silos won’t do this job. Collaborating in long-term partnerships will.