Often, it is not immediately clear if an e-bus is a viable and cost-effective option for a transit agency. There is in fact a litany of publicly available tools — including trainings, webinars, case studies, reports and other resources — that help provide this type of information. WRI and other Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) E-Bus Mission partners are supporting transit agencies and cities as they explore opportunities for bus electrification in their communities.

This resource list is grouped into thematic areas of interest for transit agency stakeholders.  

Technology 

The CURB Tool: Climate Action for Urban Sustainability (World Bank)  

An interactive tool designed to help cities reduce their environmental footprint and act on climate by enabling them to create different action plans and assess their cost, feasibility, and impact.  

ImpactAr Tool (WRI)   

A technical note and valuation model which evaluates how modifications of Brazilian urban bus fleets impact related air pollution and its resulting number of fatalities and hospitalization as well as economic and welfare costs. 

The Costs and Benefits Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses (WRI)  

Provides an entry point for users to compare cost, operational and emission data for different types of buses as well as the cost, emission and social benefit implications of converting from diesel to electric bus fleets. The tool was brought online in 2020, drawing from an earlier Excel-based version of the tool. The older version is limited to 2013 data in both the United States and Brazil yet is highly adaptable for more recent data.  

Operations 

Simulator to Quantify and Manage Electric Vehicle Load Impacts on Low-Voltage Distribution Grids (WRI) 

This model-based tool helps facility owners, fleet operators and utilities quantify the impact that EV charging will have on local grid infrastructure, determine vehicle-grid-integration energy potential, and determine optimal EV charging locations. 

Training Needs Assessment for E-Buses in India (Digital Library on Green Mobility) 

A national-level study conducted by GIZ focuses on Training Needs Assessment related to e-Buses in PTAs and development of skill upgradation and additional mechanisms.  

Battery Monitoring: Importance and Solutions for Public Transport Companies Webinar (WRI) 

This webinar discusses the relationship between e-bus battery well-being and vehicle performance, explaining why battery monitoring should be performed, the benefits of battery monitoring, and battery parameters. 

Discussion of Depot and Charging Management for Electric Buses Webinar (WRI) 

This presentation discusses the important role of depots in ensuring e-bus fleets operate smoothly, emphasizing how depot management systems lower operating costs, how charging management systems improve fleet utilization, and how integrating the grid supplier ensures modern grid management. 

Energy & Infrastructure 

Future Mobility Calculator (Coalition for Urban Transitions) 

An Excel-based tool which utilizes city-specific demographic data as well as other user-inputted data to estimate how future mobility and energy systems upgrades impact the quantity and cost of infrastructure required as well as environmental and social benefits. 

Simulator to Quantify and Manage Electric Vehicle Load Impacts on Low-Voltage Distribution Grids  (WRI) 

This model-based tool helps facility owners, fleet operators, and utilities quantify the impact that EV charging will have on local grid infrastructure, determine vehicle-grid-integration energy potential, and determine optimal EV charging locations. 

Impact of EV Charging on the Local Grid Webinar (WRI India Ross Center) 

This webinar discusses the impact of growing EV fleets in India on power demand, reviewing a study on the topic with useful information on the Electricity Distribution Network (EDN), its readiness for EV’s dynamic electricity loads, the important of communication technologies in EV charging network, and the integration of renewables with EV charging. 

Business Model 

Business Models for Electric Bus Adoption Webinar (WRI Ross Center) 

This webinar explains some of the principal components of business models that enable e-bus adoption in public transport as seen in 22 cities and 14 countries across the US, Asia, and Europe. 

Costs 

ICCT Roadmap Model (ICCT) 

A global transportation emissions model that enables policymakers to identify and understand transportation trends, estimate the emissions impact a broad range of policy scenarios, and frame plans to reduce GHG emissions and air pollution. 

Total Cost of Ownership Evaluator Tool for e-Buses  (WRI India)  

This tool performs an analysis on key EV cost components and performance evaluators to identify their impact on total cost of ownership (TCO) per kilometer, providing valuable insights to policy makers, operators, and vehicle users. 

Procurement 

Electric Bus Procurement in India: The Road Ahead Webinar (WRI India)  

This webinar provides commentary on "Procurement of Electric Buses: Insights from the Total Cost of Ownership” and evaluates various options to improve current procurement models and mitigate risks associated with accelerating e-bus adoption. 

Retrofitting for Electric Vehicles: Status, Potential and Challenges Webinar  (WRI India) 

This webinar focuses on the retrofitting of existing ICE vehicles into hybrid electric vehicles, and it discusses this growing market, its technical and economic viability, the challenges of retrofitting certain vehicles like buses, and other issues.  

Corporate Adoption of Electric Vehicles in India (WRI India) 

This webinar addresses how corporate companies procure EVs and their different business models, such as the usefulness of the business-to-business model in the electrification of buses operating in the private sector.