Assessing the impact of bus technology on greenhouse gas emissions along a major corridor: A lifecycle analysis

This paper evaluates the impact of alternative bus transit technologies including compressed natural gas, biodiesel, and diesel-electric hybrid on greenhouse gas emissions along a busy transit corridor using a lifecycle analysis approach. In addition, the authors compare the operational emissions of buses running on these technologies using an instantaneous speed and an average speed model. The results indicate that operational emissions make-up the largest portion of lifecycle emissions. When comparing instantaneous and average speed emissions the authors find that both methods produce consistent results for diesel, however, the average speed method underestimates biodiesel emissions by 21% and overestimates compressed natural gas emissions by 16%. Bus technologies ranked in increasing order of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are: hybrid, compressed natural gas, biodiesel, and conventional diesel.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2013.01.004
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920913000084
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13619209
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Chan, Sabrina
  • Miranda-Moreno, Luis F
  • Alam, Ahsan
  • Hatzopoulou, Marianne
• Publication Date: 2013-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 7-11
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1361-9209
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternate fuels; Biodiesel fuels; Bus transit; Compressed natural gas; Diesel buses; Electric vehicles; Environmental impacts; Greenhouse gases; Hybrid vehicles; Life cycle analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Diesel electric buses
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01481300
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 13 2013 9:26AM