Energy storage, and the other trends in the Chinese and Indian electric bus markets
IDTechEx has published its report analysing the current trends in the Chinese and Indian electric bus markets, Electric Buses 2019 – 2029.
According to IDTechEx, the market for electric buses in China has sharply dropped as subsidies disappear, while the Indian electric bus markets are surging due to an announcement of energetic moves to replace 150,000 diesel buses. More modest moves elsewhere are likely to keep deliveries rising.
The Chinese and Indian electric bus markets
The lead author and chairmain, Dr Peter Harrop, said: “We have tracked this market for 20 years, so we have good insights and inputs. However, things are moving so fast now that we have completely rewritten this years’ edition. For example, we get behind why there are now large supercapacitor buses in seven countries. Aside from regional and supplier aspects of many categories of electric bus, we assess the impact of fuel cells, new power electronics, more motors per vehicle, autonomy, energy harvesting and energy storage bodywork and new charging options, such as at speed on the new solar roads.”
Indian electric buses
Tata motors is participating in tender bids for all state transport corporations in India. Tata Motors will finish the delivery of 255 electric buses to six states within three months.
One order includes:
- 80 buses from Bengal;
- 40 each from Jammu and Kashmir, Lucknow, Indore and Jaipur; and
- 15 from Assam.
Under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme, 60% of the bus price is contributed by the Centre while the rest is provided by the states. In contrast, China has zero subsidy next year.
Rohit Srivastava, the product line head of passenger commercial vehicles at Tata Motrs, said:
“With a full load and AC in full blast, one full charge will have a range of 150km.The range also depends on the traffic conditions and how the buses are driven.”
Batteries for the electric buses
According to IDTechEx, the 120kw battery will be fully charged in 2.5 hours and the company is also providing facilities for intermediate charging, which will take 30 minutes.
Harrop added: “There is a spectrum of choice extending to Swiss ABB doing partial top up and supercapacitor buses doing full charge both in 10 seconds but more points are needed along the route. Business cases are improving at different rates and coming from left field is the very different option of a swarm of multi-tasking robot shuttles,” says Harrop.
When asked if the FAME II incentives will encourage battery manufacture in the country, Srivastava concluded: “Energy storage is an imperative for the industry but it will depend on the explosion of usage of electric vehicles.”
The energy storage trends for electric buses
IDTechEx’s new report, “Energy Storage for Electric Buses and Trucks 2019-2029”, found that such energy storage, which is already a big business, will rapidly drop in value share of a bus or truck’s overall cost but still see strong overall market growth. It predicts that truck energy storage will rapidly become the biggest storage market.
Source: scitecheuropa.eu
