Publications

In the course of the MOBSTER project and other related projects, several studies were carried out in the field of electric and hydrogen mobility. The studies were coordinated by the Institute for Renewable Energy of Eurac Research and resulted in the following publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Energy and greenhouse gases life cycle assessment of electric and hydrogen buses: A real-world case study in Bolzano Italy

Gianluca Grazieschi, Alyona Zubaryeva, Wolfram Sparber.

Energy Reports, Volume 9, 2023,Pages 6295-6310.

This study compares the energy and global warming performances of the different powertrain technologies in the city fleet: diesel, full electric and hydrogen buses. The analysis for the energy consumptions of the buses and to produce hydrogen in Bolzano uses real world monitored data. Main findings show that compared to the traditional diesel buses, the reduction of the non-renewable primary energy demand is of 43% for electric vehicles.

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Evaluation of Different Scenarios to Switch the Whole Regional Bus Fleet of an Italian Alpine Region to Zero-Emission Buses

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.

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Infrastructure Planning for Electrified Transport in alpine areas

Valentina D’Alonzo, Pietro Zambelli, Samule Zilio, Alyona Zubaryeva, Andrea Grotto, Wolfram Sparber.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7181.

The study presents a thorough examination of the current infrastructure considering the case study of South Tyrol and proposes a methodology for locating charging points for electrified vehicles, which can be used for private EVs and e-bikes, and for electric buses. The methodology considers not only the quantitative balance between EVs and charging stations but also the interlinkages with social, technical, and economic criteria for the overall system development.

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Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas

Aaron Estrada Poggio, Jessica Balest, Alyona Zubaryeva, Wolfram Sparber.

Journal of Energy Storage, Volume 72, Part C, 2023, 108411, ISSN 2352-152X.

This study combines a quantitative analysis of real-world empirical dataset of zero emission buses used in the Italian Alps, with a qualitative analysis of driver perception. The quantitative analysis provides novel insights on a comparison between electric and hydrogen buses in terms of efficiency, consumption, sensitivity to external temperature, covered distances, and cost per driven kilometre. The qualitative analysis focuses on the social acceptance of drivers facing the transformation towards a more sustainable public transport sector.

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Optimal Fleet Transition Modeling for Sustainable Inland Waterways Transport

Matteo Giacomo Prina, Alyona Zubaryeva, Giuseppe Rotondo, Andrea Grotto, Wolfram Sparber.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(17), 9524

The research focused on the case study of the decarbonization of the the inland waters of the Orta lake, Piedmont, Italy by substituting its diesel-based fleet with electric vessels.

Researchers from Eurac Research developed an optimization model to identify the minimum electric fleet size needed to fully replace Orta Lake’s current diesel boats, considering the lake’s routes, boat schedules, charging constraints and transport demand.

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