Episode 39: Electric Bus Opportunities and Barriers
On this episode, Camron Gorguinpour, PhD, Director of Mobility Solutions at ENGIE Impact, describes the implementation of 16,000 electric buses in Shenzhen, China, and what we can learn.
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At a time of increased attention to transportation’s impact on climate change and the reliability of our power grid, this podcast delves into opportunities and barriers for electric fleet conversion. Gorguinpour looks at operations, including types of routes, charging stations and procurement of infrastructure as well as the challenges of providing electricity for fleets. While electric buses cost more up front, total cost of ownership may be less over the life of the vehicle because of lower fuel and maintenance costs. He talks about the importance of scaling and finding better financing mechanisms, possibly in collaboration with utility companies. Two World Resources Institute reports address opportunities and common barriers, for policy makers and cities either just starting out or looking to scale up. “This is a new technology,” Gorguinpour says, “These are new vehicles that are being developed. As manufacturers learn, as cities learn, the quality of the product dramatically improves.”