Although all battery electric bus batteries will store electricity in the form of DC, or direct current, power, the electric grid transmits and provides electricity in the form of AC, or alternating current, power. Therefore, a critical process of charging a BEV is the transformation of AC power into DC power.
To put things into perspective, let us walk through the life of the average heavy-duty vehicle lithium-ion battery. Its average lifespan is estimated at 20 years – compared to an estimated 13 years for the average fossil fuel-powered car.
School busses are based on diesel or gasoline internal combustion engines for the most part and have 12VDC (or maybe 24VDC as used in larger trucks) systems for starter and lighting.
Availability was much higher during the last 8 months with an average availability of 84.7%. The battery buses had an overall average efficiency of 2.84 kWh per mile, which equates to a fuel economy of 13.3 miles per diesel gallon equivalent (mpdge).
On average, diesel buses use 6 miles per gallon [mpg], while electric buses boost that efficiency to an equivalent of 17 mpg. Electric school buses can save more than $170,000 on fuel and maintenance throughout their lifespan.
Expanding Bus Ranges and Declining Battery Prices Are Making Electric Buses Mainstream Electric buses today can travel anywhere between 150 miles on the lower end to 275 – 300 miles on a single charge.
Lower Operating Costs: Electric buses powered by lithium-ion batteries have lower operating costs compared to their conventional counterparts. Electric buses require less maintenance due to fewer moving parts, no oil changes, and fewer fluids to monitor.
In conventional electric vehicles, there is only a fixed reduction gear attached to the motors, but in the case of a bus (or any heavy commercial vehicle), better results can be achieved by including a multi-speed gearbox.
Do electric buses have transmissions? No, although some have a transaxle system. Because there is no transmission, acceleration is seamless; no jerking or noise....just nice and smooth.