Electric City Buses with Modular Platform: A Design Proposition for Sustainable Mobility

The renewed interest for city buses and the constant growth of the urban population worldwide will contribute to inflate the global market size to more than 275,000 vehicles a year in 2020, up 60% compared to the current levels. Diesel buses are the most popular choice, even though their future market share will bear the brunt of shale gas discovery and advances in energy storage technology. This paper describes the dynamics of the city bus market and a business idea to enter the European public transportation market with sustainable vehicles featuring a new design platform, electric powertrains, and composite technology.