Resilient Zero-Emission Transit Bus Fleets: A Guide (2025)
Chapter: 6 Zero-Emission Bus Fleet Adaptation Measures
CHAPTER 6
Zero-Emission Bus Fleet Adaptation Measures
As ZE technology adoption increases, the technology ecosystem surrounding ZEBs continues to expand and mature. Lessons learned from demonstrations and pilot projects have improved the technology readiness level (TRL) of various tools that can support ZE fleet resilience. Transit agencies need to carefully consider the TRL of any systems they implement (among other criteria), especially those intended to bolster resilience. The adaptation measures highlighted in this guide have been broadly categorized as Mature, Developing, and Emerging. Mature measures have been widely used in transit and thus present lower implementation risks and complications, such as utilizing an ICE contingency fleet.
Developing measures, such as charge management software and microgrids, are progressing towards maturity and have been used moderately in the transit space. One of the case study transit agencies, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation of Maryland, has successfully implemented a microgrid to support BEB charging.
Emerging technologies that may become adaptation measures, such as vehicle-to-building (V2B), are currently in demonstration phases and will require significant effort or resources for successful implementation. Appendix E describes potential adaptation measures for threats facing ZEB fleets, categorizes the measures by TRL, and describes the technologies and their applications in detail. An overview is provided in Table 4.
Level |
Adaptations |
|---|---|
Mature |
|
Developing |
|
Emerging |
|
