Current trends and innovations affecting the potential for a widespread adoption of electric buses - A comparative case study of 22 cities in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe

Abstract

Electric buses have environmental, economic, and health benefits, which many cities want to achieve by transitioning their fleets. However, the actual worldwide electric bus adoption is geographically uneven and limited in scale, and few studies analyzed what factors can potentially shape a wider adoption. The paper is based on real world experiences, and applies a comparative multi-case study to 22 cities in 14 countries. A common framework is used for analysis, which includes non-reimbursable funds, investment capital, and legal arrangements. Results show that four key factors are shaping the widespread adoption of electric buses. Firstly, public and private grants, which, when dedicated to cleaning the fleet, appears as a strong factor underpinning existing clean bus systems. Secondly, less costly sources of financing can reduce financial risks and enable more adoption, and it is where innovation can happen. Also, innovative ways of structuring contractual implementation effectively connect stakeholders and involve third-party players, which leads to shared and mitigated risks, increased efficiency and improved performance. In addition, some other elements outside of the business model framework also prove to be enabling the adoption of electric buses.