Measuring carbon emissions throughout the lifecycles of urban conventional buses

• Published in: Energy science & engineering 2024-04, Vol.12 (4), p.1298-1316
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wenhui, Fu, Bo, Zhou, Ge, Song, Ziwen, Xi, Cong, Li, Decai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carbon emissions; conventional buses; lifecycle; new energy; urban transportation
• ISSN: 2050-0505; 2050-0505
• DOI: 10.1002/ese3.1668

In this paper, we selected representative electric buses (EBs) and diesel buses as research cases, aiming to explore a localized method suitable for various vehicle types that can be implemented in any region to measure the carbon emissions of urban buses throughout the lifecycle. We take into account the influence of seasonal factors over the lifecycle. We fully consider the production, assembly, and recycling stages of vehicle systems. We construct a model for estimating CO2 emissions during the fuel cycle. We analyze and compare the impacts of the optimized power grid structure on the lifecycle CO2 emissions of the two types of buses. The results indicate that seasonal factors affect both bus types' energy consumption, with EBs being more sensitive. Carbon emissions primarily stem from manufacturing the body, chassis, and notably, the lithium‐ion batteries, with the latter having a pronounced impact on EBs. A decrease in coal power generation from 71% to 21% in the grid reduced EB fuel‐cycle emissions by 70.7%. Although EBs are sensitive to seasonal factors, they still have the greatest potential for carbon reduction, depending on the proportion of clean energy in the power grid and the production processes of vehicle components. This study selected representative electric and diesel buses as case studies to measure the urban buses' carbon emissions throughout their lifecycle, considering seasonal factors and the structure of the electric grid. The results indicate that while electric buses are more sensitive to seasonal factors, and the production of lithium‐ion batteries has a significant impact, they still have the greatest potential for carbon reduction.