Analysts expect electric buses to be cheaper to operate than diesel buses by 2019.
"Municipal bus fleets across the world are expected to transition to 80% electric by 2040," reports Iulia Gheorghiu, sharing data from a recenet report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
"Despite the high cost to purchase e-buses and build out their charging infrastructure, BNEF forecasts operational savings by 2019 for many charging configurations, compared to the total cost of ownership of conventional diesel buses," adds Gheorghiu.
Gheorghiu also sets the report's predictions in context of two significant regulatory decisions of recent days and weeks. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is crafting regulations [pdf] that will transition the state's public transit to zero emissions by 2040. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority also in May to convert its hybrid buses to a fully electric fleet by 2035, according to a separate article by Sadie Gribbon.
For more recent coverage on the traction of electric buses int he public transit market, see also recent coverage by Planetizen.
FULL STORY: 80% of transit buses expected to go electric by 2040, report forecasts
California Orders All Electric Buses by 2040
Converting all the public transit buses in California would save reduce carbon emissions in the state by 1 million metric tons by 2040.
California to Invest $1 Billion in Electric Trucks, Buses, Charging Infrastructure
The investment comes not from the state legislature but from two regulatory bodies, the Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, authorizing the expenditure of VW settlement funds and utility ratepayer funds, respectively.
Renewable Natural Gas and Electricity Should Power Los Angeles Bus Fleet
It's not one or the other but both, argues Denny Zane of Move LA in a guest commentary for the Los Angeles Daily News about the decision that Los Angeles County Metro will make on June 22 on the future of the nation's second largest bus fleet.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association