Service design and operational considerations

The characteristics of electric battery buses including capacity, number of axles and charging port locations.

A key consideration for implementing battery electric buses is the vehicle weight because the weight of the batteries generally makes battery electric buses heavier than an equivalent diesel bus.

Another important consideration when transitioning to battery electric buses is vehicle range. The range is influenced by a number of factors which include vehicle weight, vehicle frontal area, tyre pressure, vehicle speed, HVAC load, and more.

There are a number of operational aspects of public transport networks that need to be considered in planning and designing for battery electric bus charging because they can impact scheduling of recharging buses and also the electricity demand requirements.

Electric buses have substantial energy requirements. Energy supply is imperative to consider in the planning and design of electric bus networks. This section provides a broad overview of characteristics of the electricity supply in New Zealand.