Battery Electric Buses Participation in Electricity Markets and Power Systems

Many European cities have committed to procure only zero-emission buses by 2025, considering battery electric buses as the first choice to achieve this objective. However, whilst this technology promises to solve several environmental problems, charging these vehicles may present challenges for the power system operation and planning. The objective of the paper is to find a bridge between two pillars of smart grids and smart cities: Demand Response and electric mobility. To achieve this aim, charging behavior for a fleet of 100 electric buses is simulated in order to estimate the potential for peak shaving, electricity purchase cost saving and income generation through selling flexibility services. Overnight and opportunity bus charging systems are compared, along with different depot charging strategies. The outcomes from this analysis aims to support public transport operator decision making when it comes to the design and operation of zero-emission bus systems.