ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system

The document outlines outcomes from a May 2025 workshop involving 27 Swedish stakeholders to address vulnerabilities in electric bus fleets. Key challenges identified include grid capacity constraints, the impact of cold weather on battery range, and fragmented data standards. The guide proposes a 'prepare-absorb-recover-adapt' framework and offers specific recommendations, such as conducting depot-grid capacity studies before tenders, establishing reduced-service plans for power outages, and creating a common data standard for monitoring state-of-charge and charger uptime. It further suggests aligning contract terms with the longer lifespan of depot infrastructure and developing decision-support tools for backup power options like battery storage or hybrid generators.

• Grid capacity planning is often insufficient and lacks early coordination, leading to calls for structured dialogues with distribution system operators (DSOs) before tenders and clearer prognoses of grid capacity across different operating states.
• Electric bus depots are frequently sited based on available grid capacity rather than service needs, which can result in depots being located far from routes and creating long-term infrastructure lock-in.
• Power outages, particularly those occurring between 02:00 and 04:00, are highly disruptive as they interfere with the primary charging window for the fleet, potentially causing missed morning departures.
• Cold weather and heavy traffic significantly reduce vehicle range, with older bus models underperforming compared to newer ones with larger batteries, often exceeding the flexibility of existing timetables.
• The sector suffers from uneven data standards and limited access to telematics; there are no shared datasets for state-of-charge (SoC), charging logs, or charger uptime, and OEM portals often restrict API access.
• Financial risks arise from mismatched timelines between short-term operating contracts (approximately 10 years) and the longer lifespan of depot infrastructure (20–30 years), which can delay necessary investments.
• To improve recovery from disruptions, the document recommends establishing reduced-service plans (e.g., for 48-hour or 14-day periods) that define priority corridors to keep society functioning.

APA

Xylia, M., & Gong, J. (2026). ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/respt-electric-bus-workshop-guide-sei2026-003.pdf

Chicago

Xylia, Maria, and Jindan Gong. ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2026. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/respt-electric-bus-workshop-guide-sei2026-003.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Xylia |first1=Maria |last2=Gong |first2=Jindan |title=ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/respt-electric-bus-workshop-guide-sei2026-003.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{xylia2026respt, author = {Xylia, Maria and Gong, Jindan}, title = {{ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/respt-electric-bus-workshop-guide-sei2026-003.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }