Technology Development and Spatial Diffusion of Auxiliary Power Sources in Trolleybuses in European Countries

Abstract

Trolleybus transport is one of the classic means of public transport in cities. Its popularity varied in the past and was largely related to the fuel market situation. As fuel prices fell, electricity-powered transport lost popularity. The situation was similar during fuel crises. Trolleybuses gained in popularity then. Nowadays, the development of alternative power sources (APS) technology makes trolleybus transport partially independent of the overhead contact system, which is its great advantage. It is thus possible to develop trolleybus connections in areas where there is no justification for building overhead wiring infrastructure. The article analyses the development of on-board APS and their spatial diffusion in trolleybus systems in Europe. The main result of the research procedure indicates that the development of battery technologies, which could accelerate the closure of trolleybus transport due to the strong competition of electric buses not requiring an overhead contact line, allows for the dynamic development of this branch of transport. The situation in 71 trolleybus systems in Central and Western Europe which had any experience in the use of APS in 2011–2021 was examined. As a result of the analysis, the dynamics of APS diffusion were determined, in particular, a significant increase in the number of trolleybus systems using on-board batteries from 7 in 2011 to 44 in 2021.