Electrification of public transport: Lessons from the ELIPTIC project

Abstract

ELIPTIC (2015–2018) is a project funded by the European Commission to develop 20 new concepts to demonstrate that the further take-up of electric vehicles can be done in a cost-efficient way, with tangible effects on the urban environment. The concepts are divided into three thematic pillars: (i) safe integration of electric buses using existing electric public transport infra-structure; (ii) innovative energy storage systems to increase operational efficiency, and (iii) multi-purpose use of electric public transport infrastructure. ELIPTIC deploys such new concepts on eleven use cases across Europe and the outcomes are independently assessed according to a methodology specifically designed to deal with the two different types of case studies: demonstrators, assessed via a direct before-vs-during comparison of performance and feasibility studies, assessed via a dedicated SWOT analysis. ELIPTIC also relies on a User Forum involving public transport practitioners who assist in the development of the project. The assessment also includes a transferability exercise. The paper describes the ELIPTIC concepts under test and the assessment methodology, along with the outcomes from the assessment procedure, cross-revised with the feedback from the User Forum participants. To conclude, recommendations for the upscaling of electrification of public transit across Europe are drawn.