Energy Consumption Estimation for Electric Public Light Buses: A Case Study in Hong Kong

Public light buses play an important role in the public transport system in Hong Kong. Its unique driving characteristics are commonly attributed to the drivers’ aggressive attitude and risky behaviours driven by its operational characteristics. However, their impacts on energy consumption towards achieving the 2050 zero emission fleet target has not received proper attention. This study undertook an evaluation of these behaviours for e-PLBs deployed for a fleet electrification trial programme. A hybrid energy consumption model combining physics-based and behaviour-correction with uncertainty quantification was proposed to estimate e-PLBs’ energy consumption using trip level driving parameters. Results demonstrated that the proposed model was interpretable and capable of addressing key real-world influences on e-PLB energy consumption. It also decomposed energy demand into physics-driven and behaviour-driven components, where the latter was found to account for over 55% of total energy consumption. Hence, the model was considered appropriate for planning, schedule and fleet-management applications.