Developing Rapid Battery Charging infrastructure in Kelowna for Transit: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment

Electric Vehicles (EVs), which have zero tailpipe emissions, are an innovative and proven alternative transportation solution for regions with a low-emission electricity grid mix. However, most studies to date are motivated by increasing market penetration of private EVs, and they generally focus on the distribution of charging points across the transportation network. Battery-electric buses (e-buses) neither have a continuous power supply nor generate electricity onboard. Hence, e-buses require recharging during daily operations without interrupting the predetermined bus routes and schedules. The performance of e-bus transit systems for specific routes is greatly affected by the charging patterns and queuing times of e-buses. Performance is also dependent on the efficiency and charging time of batteries, and charging patterns and queuing times are affected by the number of recharging stations in the route and the charging policy deployed. Hence, determining an efficient layout for recharging infrastructure, appropriate sizing of battery capacity, and having a detailed policy framework are three key factors to enable battery-powered e-bus operation in public transit systems. The goal of this project is to conduct a detailed study to determine the fleet and rapid-charging infrastructure requirements for an e-bus transit system. T

Faculty Supervisor:

Kasun Hewage;Rehan Sadiq;Jian Liu;Mahmudur Rahman Fatmi

Student:

Partner:

City of Kelowna

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Public administration

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: