Depot electrification for zero-emission bus systems

This report, aimed at public transport authorities, private operators and practitioners, presents an overview of the key steps and considerations needed when designing or retrofitting a zero-emission bus depot as part of accelerating zero-emission bus deployment in urban areas. It draws on the experiences of C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) projects on depot electrification in Guadalajara and Monterrey (Mexico), as well as a literature review of other international experiences.

This report, aimed at public transport authorities, private operators and practitioners, presents an overview of the key steps and considerations needed when designing or retrofitting a zero-emission bus depot as part of accelerating zero-emission bus deployment in urban areas. It draws on the experiences of C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) projects on depot electrification in Guadalajara and Monterrey (Mexico), as well as a literature review of other international experiences.

While each depot is tailored to the demands of the service requirements, the guide aims to answer a broad range of questions that operators or authorities may have on how to electrify their depot, including:

• Which depots to select first to electrify?
• How does the electricity grid play a role?
• Can renewable energy be integrated into the plans?
• How do I calculate the electricity required?
• How much space is necessary for electrical infrastructure?
• What infrastructure is needed?
• How can we ensure that infrastructure now is compatible which needs in the future?
• What maintenance is required?
• How safe is a electric bus charging system?
• How resilient will the electric charging system be to future effects of climate change?

You can find this report and further Zero Emission Bus resources from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) here.