Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal
The transport sector accounts for around one-quarter of the GHG emissions in Europe, and, in Portugal, it represents almost one-third of the total emissions to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these emissions have increased in recent years. Hence, cities and countries need plans to decarbonize their p...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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Series: | Energies |
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4286 |
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author | Paulo J. G. Ribeiro José F. G. Mendes |
author_facet | Paulo J. G. Ribeiro José F. G. Mendes |
author_sort | Paulo J. G. Ribeiro |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The transport sector accounts for around one-quarter of the GHG emissions in Europe, and, in Portugal, it represents almost one-third of the total emissions to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these emissions have increased in recent years. Hence, cities and countries need plans to decarbonize their public transport fleets, and, more specifically, to replace fossil-fueled buses with electric buses that produce zero CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to present a method to decarbonize the bus fleet in Portugal by a scheduled replacement of the current fleet, which is fueled by fossil fuels, with a completely electric fleet, in fourteen years. The study shows that it is possible to replace all Portuguese urban bus fleets with electric vehicles considering that all vehicles will be replaced when reaching the age of 14 years. Replacing the urban bus fleet with zero-emission buses would aid policymakers and bus companies to reduce the GHGs, and therefore contribute to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely, Goal 13—take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:53:29Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-4f476b69c96d4acf96c82c5e4c5d03ce |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1996-1073 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:53:29Z |
publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Energies |
spelling | doaj.art-4f476b69c96d4acf96c82c5e4c5d03ce2023-11-23T16:28:37ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-06-011512428610.3390/en15124286Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in PortugalPaulo J. G. Ribeiro0José F. G. Mendes1Centre for Territory Environment and Construction, School of Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimaraes, PortugalDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimaraes, PortugalThe transport sector accounts for around one-quarter of the GHG emissions in Europe, and, in Portugal, it represents almost one-third of the total emissions to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these emissions have increased in recent years. Hence, cities and countries need plans to decarbonize their public transport fleets, and, more specifically, to replace fossil-fueled buses with electric buses that produce zero CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to present a method to decarbonize the bus fleet in Portugal by a scheduled replacement of the current fleet, which is fueled by fossil fuels, with a completely electric fleet, in fourteen years. The study shows that it is possible to replace all Portuguese urban bus fleets with electric vehicles considering that all vehicles will be replaced when reaching the age of 14 years. Replacing the urban bus fleet with zero-emission buses would aid policymakers and bus companies to reduce the GHGs, and therefore contribute to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely, Goal 13—take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4286decarbonizationgreen public transportzero-emissionsbus fleetelectric buses |
spellingShingle | Paulo J. G. Ribeiro José F. G. Mendes Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal Energies decarbonization green public transport zero-emissions bus fleet electric buses |
title | Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal |
title_full | Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal |
title_fullStr | Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal |
title_full_unstemmed | Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal |
title_short | Public Transport Decarbonization via Urban Bus Fleet Replacement in Portugal |
title_sort | public transport decarbonization via urban bus fleet replacement in portugal |
topic | decarbonization green public transport zero-emissions bus fleet electric buses |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4286 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT paulojgribeiro publictransportdecarbonizationviaurbanbusfleetreplacementinportugal AT josefgmendes publictransportdecarbonizationviaurbanbusfleetreplacementinportugal |