Wolfram Sparber, Andrea Grotto, Pietro Zambelli, Roberto Vaccaro, Alyona Zubaryeva.

World Electr. Veh. J. 2023, 14(4).

The study performs an analysis of the state-of-the-art of ZEBs, local bus lines, and timetables in South Tyrol to understand the best fit of technology—battery electric buses (BEBs) or fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs)—for each intercity line.

The study also presents the simulation tool developed to calculate the compatibility of zero-emission technologies with the current needs of the public transportation considering distance, altitude difference, and climate conditions. The results show that a complete switch of the fleet is possible with a slight increase in the number of buses and that there is no clear difference in the distance covered in mountainous areas by BEBs versus FCEBs, but that both technologies can cover similar distances.