According to a study carried on by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the health of our climate and communities in the USA. The range of e-buses is reduced by up to 37.8% at 0 to -5 ° C.
How does cold weather affect the range of electric buses? And is the battery or the fuel cell the best option when it comes to winter performance? A study by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) in the USA, conducted by the partners Midwest Hydrogen Center of Excellence (MHCoE), the Cleveland State University (CSU) and the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) investigated these questions becomes. The study team collected data from eight public transport companies, four of which use electric or fuel cell buses.
Range losses of up to 38%
The scientific study funded by the National Fuel Cell Bus program provides a clear answer: if the temperature drops from 10 to 15 ° C to 0 to -5 ° C, the range of battery-electric bus loss is up to 37.8% and for the hydrogen-powered buses only by 23.1%. The conclusions are clear. Also, while the EV-bus has to use more electricity from the batteries for heating, the hydrogen bus can use the waste heat from the fuel cell.
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