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
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