Promoting bus electrification through public policy mechanisms: case study in big cities in Brazil

• Grant number: 19/03157-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: January 20, 2020
• End date: March 19, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Henrique de Mello Sant'Ana
• Grantee: Paulo Henrique de Mello Sant'Ana
• Host Investigator: Nikit Abhyankar
• Host Institution: Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (CECS). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States

Abstract

Transport is the sector with the highest final energy consumption in the world. With the submission of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, a long-term political signal was sent to decarbonize the transport sector. Together with electricity generation by renewables, electrification of high duty vehicles (HDV's) in cities could help countries to achieve the 2 Degree Celsius Scenario (2DS) target. It would also help the mitigation of local emissions, which is usually a health problem in most of big cities. Governments can help to promote HDV's electrification through accelerating the deployment of these technologies by showing clear signs of their determination to invest in the required infrastructure, supporting demonstration programmes, and vehicle efficiency regulations. The objectives of this project are to evaluate the financial feasibility of lithium battery buses in big cities in Brazil, mapping the existing financial, institutional, regulatory and political barriers, and to classify and recommend policy mechanisms to promote the adoption of this technology. The energy classification and approach proposed in this project aims to help policymakers better design and deploy energy policy mechanisms in federal, state and city levels, to promote lithium battery buses in Brazil. (AU)