Estimation of the Energy Consumption of Battery Electric Buses for Public Transport Networks Using Real-World Data and Deep Learning

Abstract

The estimation of energy consumption is an important prerequisite for planning the required infrastructure for charging and optimising the schedules of battery electric buses used in public urban transport. This paper proposes a model using a reduced number of readily acquired bus trip parameters: arrival times at the bus stops, map positions of the bus stops and a parameter indicating the trip conditions. A deep learning network is developed for deriving the estimates of energy consumption stop by stop of bus lines. Deep learning networks belong to the important group of methods capable of the analysis of large datasets—“big data”. This property allows for the scaling of the method and application to different sized transport networks. Validation of the network is done using real-world data provided by bus authorities of the town of Jaworzno in Poland. The estimates of energy consumption are compared with the results obtained using a regression model that is based on the collected data. Estimation errors do not exceed 7.1% for the set of several thousand bus trips. The study results indicate spots in the public transport network of potential power deficiency which can be alleviated by introducing a charging station or correcting the bus trip schedules.