by Watchman » 31 May 2025 13:47
In 2021, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) in Ithaca received a grant to procure seven all-electric buses and began a pilot program that didn’t go as they’d hoped. In addition to issues with the manufacturers, the buses struggled in Ithaca’s hilly terrain and were unreliable, with reduced range, in cold weather.
TCAT had already connected with Cornell researchers to gain insights from the pilot, and now Cornell researchers have analysed the buses’ underperformance in the cold – with implications for cities, schools and other groups that are considering the electrification of their fleets, as well as operators, policymakers and manufacturers.
In a study published May 27 in Transportation Research Part D, researchers analyzed two years of TCAT data and quantified the increased energy consumption of the pilot fleet, finding that the batteries on the electric buses consumed 48% more energy in cold weather (between -4 to 0 degrees Celsius, or around 25 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and nearly 27% more in a broader temperature range (-12 to 10 degrees Celsius, or 10 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit).
CONTINUE READING[img]https://1408440223.rsc.cdn77.org/images/2025-05/05_28_2025_01.jpg[/img]
In 2021, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) in Ithaca received a grant to procure seven all-electric buses and began a pilot program that didn’t go as they’d hoped. In addition to issues with the manufacturers, the buses struggled in Ithaca’s hilly terrain and were unreliable, with reduced range, in cold weather.
TCAT had already connected with Cornell researchers to gain insights from the pilot, and now Cornell researchers have analysed the buses’ underperformance in the cold – with implications for cities, schools and other groups that are considering the electrification of their fleets, as well as operators, policymakers and manufacturers.
In a study published May 27 in Transportation Research Part D, researchers analyzed two years of TCAT data and quantified the increased energy consumption of the pilot fleet, finding that the batteries on the electric buses consumed 48% more energy in cold weather (between -4 to 0 degrees Celsius, or around 25 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and nearly 27% more in a broader temperature range (-12 to 10 degrees Celsius, or 10 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). [b][size=150][url=https://www.enn.com/articles/76559-electric-buses-don-t-like-the-cold-study-finds]CONTINUE READING[/url][/size][/b]
