Background:Rising greenhouse gas levels through the use of traditional ICE technology in the transport industry have created a worldwide environmental crisis. Battery Electric Bus adoption is a prominent alternative currently being discussed in the public transport industry and represents an inevitable change towards a sustainable future. Purpose:The establishment of a theoretical framework that analyzes primary and secondary data todefine the factors promoting BEB implementation. Method:The study follows a qualitative research approach gathering data in the form of semi-structured interviews which are analyzed to develop an objective theory. Conclusion:The results show that the primary factors influencing diffusion of BEBs are technology factors, macro-economic factors, and socio-political factors. The research defines the relationships between them to further understand their effects on BEB diffusion. The findings develop a theoretical framework around these factors and their effects on one another and the diffusion of BEBs in the industry.

Concern regarding sustainability and climate change is increasing, which is forcing countries world-wide to take action. The Swedish government has set a goal of fossil-free tra_c until 2030. Battery Electric Buses (BEB) might be one of the solutions needed in order to reach this goal. However, currently its prevalence is at an early stage.   The purpose of this study is to investigate how the technological transition towards BEBs in Sweden a_ects the public transport operators (PTOs). Moreover, to investigate how a third party service provider of Fleet Management System (FMS) services can support the PTOs in this transition.   The research has been carried out in co-operation with a PTO and a FMS service provider. The research contributes to their current understanding of how they will be a_ected by the emerging technological transition. This thesis also contributes with new empirical data of the technological transition towards electric vehicles within public bus transport, seen as a Large Technical System. Conceptually it contributes, by exploring how external companies can support the technological transition towards BEBs, with the application of Technological Transitions theory and the Multi Layer Perspective framework.   The methodology used is a case study of the technological transition towards BEBs in Sweden. Data was collected through twelve semi-structured interviews with researchers, PTOs, public transport authorities (PTA), a BEB manufacturer and a FMS-service company. Parallel to this a questionnaire was distributed to the twenty largest PTOs in Sweden. Moreover data was collected from company visits, pilot-project results and internal documentation.   Our findings show that there are thirteen perceived barriers present among the PTOs, in the process of BEB adoption. Six of these barriers relate to component aspects of BEBs, and seven relate to managerial aspects. Perceived barriers linked to component aspects of BEBs are; Variation in solutions and lack of technical standards, the Charging infrastructure, Shorter range or decreased load capacity, Unknown functionality in cold climate, Reliability and Durability. Perceived barriers linked to managerial aspects of BEBs are; Lack of knowledge and experience, Behavioral change, Economy, Maintenance, Ownership of infrastructure and buses, Business models and Varying requirements from PTAs. The barriers FMS-service providers can address are primarily, due to the technological nature of the services, present at niche level. PTOs together with FMS-service providers are encouraged to together strive towards gaining deeper knowledge about the new emerging echnologies. Through this, PTOs could be enabled to overcome the aforementioned barriers. Three reverse salients were also identi_ed, linked to the aforementioned barriers. If the everse salients are assessed, BEB acceptance among PTOs could be increased. The three identi_ed reverse salients are, the battery technology, the charging infrastructure and the contracts/ownership. The co-operation with the commissioning PTO and FMS-service provider has led to valuable access to Swedish public transport actors, and has aided in a deeper understanding of the phenomena. Although, this co-operation might have exposed us to a risk of being influenced.

Air pollution is becoming a major issue in cities across the world, its common cause being the use of fossil fuel combustion engines in both private and collective transport modes. However, alternative technologies, such as biofuels, hybrid and battery electric vehicles, are on the rise. The objective of this thesis is to assess the optimal system’s configuration – a combination of electric traction and the use of biofuels – in a sub-group of Curitiba’s public bus network through the application of two optimisation models – least energy consumption and least cost. Based on these models, total energy, cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be calculated for different scenarios to identify the advantages of switching to a low-carbon system. Furthermore, these models can be used by planners and decision makers as a starting point in defining the path towards a cleaner transport system. The results from the energy optimisation indicate that electrification is key in reducing total energy consumption, as this technology is by far the most energy efficient. A 12% reduction could be achieved, when compared to the current scenario (only using diesel B7), and CO2 emissions could be cut by 74%. The cost optimisation shows that electrification is not yet cost competitive compared to other biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas), as biodiesel is the only technology selected by the model due to its overall lower cost. Nonetheless, if electricity costs are reduced, which can be achieved, for example, through a reduction or abolition of taxes, electrification becomes an attractive alternative to biofuels. Under these conditions (40% lower electricity price), energy consumption is reduced by 5% and GHG emissions are cut down to 30%. Political will and strategies to decrease the cost of vehicles turn out to be essential in supporting electrification in public transport. Furthermore, adaptations in the time schedules and the organisation of the main transport hubs are required to accommodate battery electric buses.  The number of fast charging stations is usually on a par with the number of bus routes to be electrified. Cost synergies achieved by sharing the cost of a charger among electrified routes with a common start/end stop are crucial to secure the attractiveness of e-mobility. This underlines the importance of analysing infrastructure needs in public transport networks holistically. / A poluição atmosférica é um problema sério em praticamente todas as grandes cidades do mundo, sendo a sua origem mais comum, o uso de combustíveis fósseis em motores de combustão, tanto em veículos de uso privado como em veículos de transporte coletivo. No entanto, tecnologias alternativas, tais como o uso de biocombustíveis, e a utilização de veículos híbridos e elétricos, estão em expansão. Esta tese tem como objectivo avaliar a configuração ideal do sistema, utilizando, num subgrupo da rede de transportes de Curitiba, uma combinação de tração elétrica e de uso de biocombustíveis. Esta avalição é feita através da aplicação de dois modelos de optimização: menor consumo energético e menor custo global. Com base nestes dois modelos, o consumo energético e os custos globais, bem como as emissões de gases de efeito de estufa (GEE), podem ser calculados para os diferentes cenários, de modo a se identificarem as vantagens da transição para um sistema de baixo carbono. Acresce que estes dois modelos podem ser usados por planeadores e decisores, como ponto de partida na definição do caminho a seguir para a transição para um sistema de transporte mais ecológico. Os resultados da otimização do consumo energético, indicam que a eletrificação é fundamental para reduzir o consumo total de energia, pois esta tecnologia é, de longe, a mais eficiente em termos energéticos. Uma redução do consumo total de energia em 12% poderá ser alcançada em relação ao cenário actual (que use apenas o diesel B7) e as emissões de CO2 poderão ser reduzidas em 74%. Na otimização de custos, os resultados mostram que a eletrificação ainda não é competitiva em termos de custos, quando comparada com o uso de biocombustíveis (biodiesel, bioetanol e biogas), uma vez que o biodiesel é a única tecnologia selecionada pelo modelo por ter menores custos associados. No entanto, se os custos da eletricidade forem reduzidos, nomeadamente, através da diminuição ou supressão de impostos, a eletrificação torna-se uma solução atrativa. Numa situação de redução do preço da energia elétrica em 40 %, o consumo de energia é reduzido em 5% e as emissões de GEE são reduzidas para 30%. Vontade política e estratégias destinadas a diminuir o custo dos veículos elétricos, tornam-se essenciais para promover a eletrificação dos transportes públicos. Acresce que, a adaptação dos horários e a organização dos principais terminais de transporte, são necessários para possibilitar a  operacionalidade dos ônibus elétricos. De acordo com os resultados dos dois modelos, o número de estações de recarga rápida é aproximadamente igual ao número de rotas de ônibus a serem eletrificadas. A redução de custos alcançada, partilhando um carregador entre rotas electrificadas com paragens inicial/final comuns, é crucial para garantir a atratividade da mobilidade eléctrica. Isto sublinha a importância dos benefícios de uma análise holística da infrastrutura de recarga nas redes de transporte público coletivo. / Luftföroreningar är en stor utmaning i städer runt om i  världen. Den gemensamma orsaken är användningen av förbränningsmotorer med fossila bränslen i både privata och kollektiva transportsätt. Dock alternativt teknik, såsom biobränslen, hybrid- och batterielektriska fordon, har uppmärksammats och deras användning ökar. Syftet med denna avhandling är att bedöma det optimala systemets konfiguration - en kombination av elektrisk drivkraft  och användningen av biobränslen - i Curitibas allmänna bussnät genom tillämpning av två optimeringsmodeller – en som minimiserar  energiförbrukning och en som minimizerar kostnader. Baserat på dessa modeller, de totala utsläpp och energiförbrukningen, samt deras respektiva kostnader kan beräknas för olika scenarier. På detta sätt  fördelarna med att byta till ett kolfrisystem identifieras. Dessutom kan dessa modeller användas av planerare och beslutsfattare som utgångspunkt för att definiera strategier mot en renare transportsystem. Resultaten från energioptimering indikerar att elektrifiering är nyckeln till att minska  systemets energiförbrukning, eftersom denna teknik är överlägset mest energieffektiv. En minskning på 12% skulle kunna uppnås, jämfört med det utgångsscenariot (endast med diesel B7) och koldioxidutsläppen skulle kunna minska med 74%. Kostnadsoptimeringen visar att elektrifiering ännu inte är kostnadseffektiv jämfört med andra biobränslen (biodiesel, bioetanol och biogas). I detta scenario är biodiesel den enda tekniken som valts av modellen på grund av dess lägre kostnad. Men om elkostnaderna minskas blir elektrifiering ett attraktivt alternativ till biobränslen. Detta skulle kunna uppnås, till exempel, genom skattebefrielse.  Under dessa förutsättningar (40% lägre elpris) minskas energiförbrukningen med 5% och utsläppen minskar med30%. Politisk vilja och strategier för att minska fordonskostnaden visar sig vara avgörande för att stödja elektrifiering av kollektivtrafiken i Curitiba. Dessutom anpassningar av tidstabellerna och organisationen av de viktigaste bytespunkter är nödvändiga. Antalet snabba laddstationer är vanligtvis i linje med antalet busslinjer som ska elektrifieras. Kostnadssynergier uppnås genom att dela kostnaden för en laddare bland elektrifierade linjer med ett gemensamt start / slutstopp. Det är avgörande för att säkerställa e-mobilitetens attraktivitet. Det visar också vikten av att analysera infrastrukturbehoven i kollektivtrafiknätet holistiskt.