Vehicle and Charging Scheduling of Electric Bus Fleets: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Transit electrification has emerged as an unstoppable force, driven by the considerable environmental benefits it offers. However, the adoption of battery electric buses is still impeded by their limited flexibility, a constraint that necessitates adjustments to current bus scheduling plans. Consequently, this study aspires to offer a thorough review of articles focused on battery electric bus scheduling. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive review of 42 papers on electric bus scheduling and related studies, with a focus on the most recent developments and trends in this research domain. Despite this extensive review, our findings reveal a paucity of research that takes into account the robustness of electric bus scheduling. Furthermore, we highlight the critical areas of considering diverse charging modes in electric bus scheduling and integrated planning of electric buses, which have not been adequately explored but hold the potential to greatly boost the effectiveness of electric bus systems. Through this synthesis, we hope that readers could acquire a thorough comprehension of the studies in this field and be motivated to address the identified research gaps, thus propelling the progress of transit electrification.