! Hurricane resiliency methods for the New York City electric bus fleet

Electric buses help municipalities reduce emissions and improve resident health. However, they require a steady electricity supply and face challenges from electricity network disruptions after natural disasters. This study examines hurricane vulnerability of two New York City electric bus routes. We use electricity loss and flooding scenarios to determine the critical element of NYC's electric bus infrastructure: on-street fast chargers, not overnight depot chargers. This conclusion applies for both routes, despite differences in route length, charging pattern, and battery size. Applying existing infrastructure and cost analyses, we conclude that temporary flood barriers around on-street chargers used with diesel generators and solar panels are strong resiliency methods. Additionally, considering flood projections in charger site choices can avoid unexpected costs. These findings are a departure from previous disaster planning focused on centralized bus facilities. As cities work towards fully electric bus fleets, this study and similar analyses can inform transportation resiliency spending.

© This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Files

Metadata

Work Title ! Hurricane resiliency methods for the New York City electric bus fleet
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Maya E. Tessler
  2. Elizabeth J. Traut
Keyword
  1. electric buses
  2. hurricanes
  3. urban resilience
  4. disaster planning
License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Transportation Research, Part D: Transport and Environment
Publication Date April 1, 2022
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103255
Deposited October 26, 2022

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added Tessler_and_Traut_2022_Accepted_Version.pdf
  • Added Creator Maya E. Tessler
  • Added Creator Elizabeth J. Traut
  • Published
  • Updated Work Title, Keyword, Description Show Changes
    Work Title
    • Hurricane resiliency methods for the New York City electric bus fleet
    • ! Hurricane resiliency methods for the New York City electric bus fleet
    Keyword
    • electric buses, hurricanes, urban resilience, disaster planning
    Description
    • <p>Electric buses help municipalities reduce emissions and improve resident health. However, they require a steady electricity supply and face challenges from electricity network disruptions after natural disasters. This study examines hurricane vulnerability of two New York City electric bus routes. We use electricity loss and flooding scenarios to determine the critical element of NYC's electric bus infrastructure: on-street fast chargers, not overnight depot chargers. This conclusion applies for both routes, despite differences in route length, charging pattern, and battery size. Applying existing infrastructure and cost analyses, we conclude that temporary flood barriers around on-street chargers used with diesel generators and solar panels are strong resiliency methods. Additionally, considering flood projections in charger site choices can avoid unexpected costs. These findings are a departure from previous disaster planning focused on centralized bus facilities. As cities work towards fully electric bus fleets, this study and similar analyses can inform transportation resiliency spending.</p>
    • Electric buses help municipalities reduce emissions and improve resident health. However, they require a steady electricity supply and face challenges from electricity network disruptions after natural disasters. This study examines hurricane vulnerability of two New York City electric bus routes. We use electricity loss and flooding scenarios to determine the critical element of NYC's electric bus infrastructure: on-street fast chargers, not overnight depot chargers. This conclusion applies for both routes, despite differences in route length, charging pattern, and battery size. Applying existing infrastructure and cost analyses, we conclude that temporary flood barriers around on-street chargers used with diesel generators and solar panels are strong resiliency methods. Additionally, considering flood projections in charger site choices can avoid unexpected costs. These findings are a departure from previous disaster planning focused on centralized bus facilities. As cities work towards fully electric bus fleets, this study and similar analyses can inform transportation resiliency spending.
  • Updated