Electric Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs

The document argues that while battery-powered electric buses (BEBs) have higher initial purchase costs than diesel buses, they offer superior long-term economics through lower operating and maintenance costs. It highlights the significant health benefits of removing diesel carcinogens from urban areas and school routes. While China dominates global deployment, U.S. cities and states are increasingly adopting BEBs through local pledges and federal grants, despite some reported performance issues with specific manufacturers.

• Battery-powered electric buses (BEBs) are more economical over the long term than internal combustion engine buses due to lower operating and maintenance costs. Specifically, powering vehicles with electricity is approximately 2.5 times cheaper than using diesel, and BEBs exhibit five times higher fuel economy than diesel buses on equivalent routes.
• Global deployment of electric buses is heavily concentrated in China, which accounts for 99 percent of the estimated 386,000 electric buses currently deployed. In contrast, the United States has less than 0.1 percent of the global total, with only 350 buses.
• Transitioning to BEBs provides critical health benefits, particularly for children and vulnerable urban populations, by eliminating tailpipe emissions of diesel, which is a known carcinogen linked to respiratory diseases like asthma and higher rates of cancer and mortality.
• The U.S. federal government provides funding for the transition to low- or no-emissions vehicles through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In 2018, the FTA awarded $264 million to 139 projects and made an additional $84.45 million and $366.3 million available for various transit bus projects, although school buses are ineligible for the "Low-No" program.
• Some BEBs manufactured by Byd in California, Colorado, and New Mexico experienced performance failures, including stalling, difficulty climbing hills, and batteries depleting faster than the advertised range.

APA

Nunno, R. (2018). Electric Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-electric-buses-benefits-outweigh-costs

Chicago

Nunno, Richard. Electric Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2018. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-electric-buses-benefits-outweigh-costs.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nunno |first1=Richard |title=Electric Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=26 October 2018 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-electric-buses-benefits-outweigh-costs |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nunno2018electric, author = {Nunno, Richard}, title = {{Electric Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-electric-buses-benefits-outweigh-costs}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }