Assessment of Battery Electric Bus Operation in Shanghai EXPO

As the first large-scale implementation of battery electric buses in public transportation system, 2010 Shanghai EXPO provides a hard-won probability to test the practical performance and adaptability of these zero-emission vehicles. This paper described the demonstration project from the aspects of electric bus specifications, route characteristics, and service mode and infrastructure construction of the charging station. The battery bus operation status was evaluated by passenger capacity, vehicle performance and service efficiency of charging station using the date obtained from the two demonstration lines in operation. The passenger transport efficiency and effect on driving range were also analyzed. The results show that, comparing to diesel buses, the 120 battery electric operated effectively and prove their adaptability in EXPO demonstration which features an analogous urban bus operation environment. However, there are still some operational problems due to the immatureness of battery and vehicle technologies. In order to supply some references for the popularization of electric bus in other cities, this paper also summarizes experiences and lessons about the demonstration project in EXPO Park.