During an e-bus pilot project, a logbook was kept to monitor distance travelled, operation time, consumption and to collect drivers' feedback.
In the Maltese islands there are currently no e-buses in operation. However, in 2020 Malta Public Transport (MPT) launched Malta’s first fully-electric bus in conjunction with Transport Malta and TAM-Europe. The aim of this project was to assess the efficiency and adaptability of the bus to the Maltese roads, which are characterised by hilly terrain and frequent stops. To assess the performance of the bus, all the operation characteristics needed to be provided.
A logbook was created to keep track of the performance of the electric bus. This enabled MPT to monitor the operation of all the trips done. The performance measures included route information, operation time, distance travelled, and consumption of charge (charge initial and charge final) for each trip. In this logbook , drivers had the possibility to write their feedback on their driving experience. This included any issues encountered during the trip such as hard suspension, turning and hand-brake issues. This logbook enabled MPT to compare the performance of the electric bus on different routes and during different times of the day. This was necessary to assess the ability of the bus to operate on certain routes under certain conditions (like traffic and high temperatures).
The data collected from this logbook during the pilot project was very useful for MPT to take informed decisions for the future since there are plans for the electrification of the public transport fleet in the future.
Resources needed
Human resources:
• 5 Drivers required to fill-in the logbook during each trip
• 2 Operation staff required to do the reporting and analysis of the performance
Evidence of success
•Logbook enabled performance analysis to be done and this enabled the operator to gain more knowledge on the technical specifications of electric buses suitable for the Maltese islands;
•The analysis done helped the operator to identify any issues unique to the local context before the procurement of a larger e-bus-fleet;
•Drivers got familiarized with driving an electric bus;
•Drivers could give their feedback about the driving experience and learn from other drivers' experiences.
Difficulties encountered
Since the drivers had to input the information per trip, in some cases the data was incomplete which resulted in some difficulties during the analysis. The technical issues encountered limited the number of trips done therefore the performance analysis was based on few data points.
Potential for learning or transfer
This good practice may be useful for territories which like Malta do not yet have an electric bus fleet. Having a logbook in which possible issues and experiences encountered during testing are listed may help in preventing some of these problems from being replicated when this good practice is transferred to another territory. When this good practice is applied in another territory, the logbook system could be used to gather further information about applicability in the local context.
Tags: Electromobility, Performance, Sustainable mobility
