How BC Transit confidently adopted electric buses with HASTUS
AT A GLANCE
Navigating the journey to battery electric buses (BEB)
BC Transit collaborated with GIRO on a feasibility study, using HASTUS to evaluate the impact of its fleet electrification on the organization. This meant assessing the number of e-buses needed to achieve required service levels and planning the necessary investment in charging infrastructure. For BC Transit it was important to overcome challenges and pave the way for:
- Efficiently managing their energy transition, as British Columbia plans to end the purchase of diesel buses
- Speeding up strategic decisions for the implementation of electric buses, as they are required to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2040
- Ensuring their service quality remain the same and controlling costs
Large-scale public bus operator (fleet of 1,079 buses) in the province of British Columbia (B.C.), Canada.
Team of just over 1100 employees, provides administration and support services for all (58) transit systems across the province outside the Greater Vancouver Area.
57.4 million trips annually, serving more than 1.98 million people in over 130 communities across the province.
AT A GLANCE
Navigating the journey to battery electric buses (BEB)
BC Transit collaborated with GIRO on a feasibility study, using HASTUS to evaluate the impact of its fleet electrification on the organization. This meant assessing the number of e-buses needed to achieve required service levels and planning the necessary investment in charging infrastructure. For BC Transit it was important to overcome challenges and pave the way for:
- Efficiently managing their energy transition, as British Columbia plans to end the purchase of diesel buses
- Speeding up strategic decisions for the implementation of electric buses, as they are required to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2040
- Ensuring their service quality remain the same and controlling costs
ABOUT THIS CASE STUDY
Large-scale public bus operator (fleet of 1,079 buses) in the province of British Columbia (B.C.), Canada.
Team of just over 1100 employees, provides administration and support services for all (58) transit systems across the province outside the Greater Vancouver Area.
57.4 million trips annually, serving more than 1.98 million people in over 130 communities across the province.
RESULTS
Extra vehicles and infrastructure not required at the start
1-1 Diesel to electric bus replacement ratio
No on-route charging planned
for initial deployment
Depot capacity constraints respected
Context
- Challenge: BC Transit wanted to validate that it wouldn’t need to rely on on-route charging for its routes, while adhering to its interlining and recovery times policies
- Scope: The feasibility study was the replacement of a fleet of 81 40'-diesel buses in a single garage
Get the most out of your BEB with HASTUS
A common myth exists when replacing diesel buses that additional electric buses are needed to achieve the same service levels in the community.
Using the HASTUS scheduling solution, the feasibility study team meticulously developed a series of scheduling strategies and scenarios that included both median and extreme energy consumption metrics. These scenarios included a range of replacement strategies, from straightforward 1:1 replacement to more nuanced approaches involving partial fleet replacement and efficiency considerations.
KEY FACTS
Study showed HASTUS is the way forward
3
-month proof of concept
8
scenarios assessed
2309
production schedules (Friday only) evaluated
All scenarios ultimately resulted in a 1:1 replacement ratio with no need for on-route charging. This helped assure BC Transit that they could control the costs of their initial deployment. Beyond that, the feasibility study team was able to demonstrate that with the help of HASTUS-MinBus and proper scenario testing, BC Transit can maximize the use of BEBs and better control the introduction of on-route charging. This has left BC Transit with greater confidence that their fleet electrification process can meet its all-electric target.
Highlights
Make Progressive Capital Investments
- The feasibility study with BC Transit and GIRO showed that optimization can help control capital and infrastructure investments - allowing agencies to make them at strategic moments, rather than up- front and all at once.
- Other details around increased costs due to more deadheading with using in depot midday charging gave insight into how much costs would increase by, and the additional distances vehicles would need to travel impacting maintenance planning.
Build Trust from Scheduling to Daily Operations
- HASTUS-MinBus used BC Transit's and the bus manufacturer data to create scenarios which reflect the specific environment of the agency.
- Knowing that proposed e-bus schedules have been created from its own data is a relief for dispatchers and operation managers, as it means proposed scenarios are ready to operationalize.
Optimize e-bus Schedules through Blocking Adjustments
- With large batteries in an urban transport context, existing blocking can often be used for e-bus schedules, all while respecting minimum state of charge (SOC) requirements.
- However, charging all vehicles overnight can be more expensive or impossible if there's not enough chargers/time. Running the battery all the way down also reduces its lifespan and capacity.
- During the feasibility study, HASTUS-MinBus was used to adjust existing blocking where necessary to create optimized schedules that maintain a higher SOC at the end of day, while respecting BC Transit rules and its service level agreement.
Start the Journey to a More Sustainable Fleet
- Without having to wait for all the infrastructure to be built, the path to electrification (and a reduced carbon footprint) can begin sooner and faster.
- As the fleet grows, the agency will get a better understanding of its consumption rates and use reliable tools to reduce power demand while keeping an eye on electricity
costs.
BC Transit aimed to create customized schedules for our mixed fleet, including various proportions of Battery Electric Buses (BEBs), to determine the number of buses needed to maintain our service levels. Initially, we estimated a 20% increase in vehicles using existing blocking methods. By doing further manual adjustments to blocks to meet charging constraints, we managed to reduce this to 5%. Yet, during our feasibility study with GIRO, HASTUS-MinBus enabled us to fully electrify our main garage's service without adding any extra vehicles. This outcome far exceeded our expectations.
Brian Harvey, Manager, Scheduling
BC Transit
BC Transit aimed to create customized schedules for our mixed fleet, including various proportions of Battery Electric Buses (BEBs), to determine the number of buses needed to maintain our service levels. Initially, we estimated a 20% increase in vehicles using existing blocking methods. By doing further manual adjustments to blocks to meet charging constraints, we managed to reduce this to 5%. Yet, during our feasibility study with GIRO, HASTUS-MinBus enabled us to fully electrify our main garage's service without adding any extra vehicles. This outcome far exceeded our expectations.
