Evaluation of Diesel and Fuel Cell Plug-In Hybrid City Buses

This research evaluates the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of diesel and fuel cell plug-in hybrid city buses. Corresponding vehicle models were developed in the Autonomie simulation software and simulations were carried out with predefined operation schedules. According to the schedules, the battery is being charged at the end stations of the operation route, and the target operation time in electric driving mode is 70% from the duration of the route. Based on the simulation results, the energy efficiency and operating performance were evaluated in relation to a battery electric bus. The results show that the battery electric bus has the lowest energy consumption whereas the diesel plug-in hybrid bus has the lowest lifecycle costs. Cost reductions of the expensive fuel cell technology are necessary in order to make fuel cell plug-in hybrid buses economically competitive.