Performance Evaluation of Hybrid-Drive Buses and Potential Fuel Savings in Brazilian Urban Transit

Authors: Márcio De Almeida D'agosto¹; Suzana Kahn Ribeiro²

Source: Transportation, Volume 31, Number 4, November 2004 , pp. 479-496(18)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Transporting more than 55 million passengers per day, buses are the main transit mode in Brazil. Most of these vehicles use diesel oil and this situation causes dependence on oil, extensive greenhouse gas emissions and increasing air pollution in urban areas. In order to improve this situation the options for Brazilian cities include the use of alternative fuels and new propulsion technologies, such as hybrid vehicles. This article proposes a procedure for evaluating the performance of a recently developed Brazilian hybrid-drive technology. A simple procedure is presented to compare hybrid-drive buses with conventional diesel buses in urban operation focusing on fuel economy and the potential for reducing diesel oil consumption through the use of hybrid-drive buses. Field tests carried out by the authors indicate that fuel consumption improvement through the use of hybrid-drive buses would certainly exceed 20%, resulting in lower fuel costs and reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Keywords: buses; fuel economy; fuel savings; hybrid drives; urban transit

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:PORT.0000037119.24386.64

Affiliations: 1: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Centro de Tecnologia, Bloco I, Sala 129, CEP: 21.945-970, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil (: dagosto@pet.coppe.ufrj.br), Email: dagosto@pet.coppe.ufrj.br 2: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Centro de Tecnologia, Bloco I, Sala 129, CEP: 21.945-970, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Publication date: 2004-11-01