Fuel Consumption Simulation Model for Transit Buses Based on Real Operating Condition to Assist Bus Electrification

Public transit bus fuel consumption is a function of the duty cycle, power demand when driving and idling, and the efficiency of the bus. Accurate evaluation of fuel consumption is best assessed by comparative testing over relevant drive cycles. Generally, in transit service, a bus serves along predetermined route and bus stops. To increase the accuracy of fuel consumption estimation to simulate buses electrification scenarios, a fuel consumption simulation model for transit buses is carried out based on the analysis of a large number of transit bus journeys composed of 82 buses tested along 124 testing routes. The bus fuel consumption simulation is executed using Matlab. The estimation fuel consumptions for representative service routes with different passenger loads and bus model year are obtained. The simulation results on transit bus fuel consumption are compared with values available from testing reports and fuel consumption estimated by Winnipeg Transit. The comparison shows that the proposed fuel consumption model is more accurate and can predict fuel consumption more reliability for transit buses. The large database gathered and fuel consumption simulation data can then be used next to investigate various electric bus powertrains and charging scenarios.