A year into the age of electric buses for Bermuda, a company consulting with the Government has revealed the arrival of 40 more buses in July to add to the 30 that have been on the road since April 2022.

The Rocky Mountain Institute has also disclosed that research conducted by the Government and RMI has found that the first 30 buses in less than a year already had overwhelmingly positive financial and environmental impacts.

Aradhana Gahlaut is a senior associate at the Rocky Mountain Institute within the Carbon Free Transportation programme.

Her LinkedIn article: “Public Bus Fleet Electrification Project: What Are the Results so Far?” discusses the government goal of full fleet electrification by 2030.

With regard to research scheduled for June publication, she writes that in less than a year, the public e-buses have helped Bermuda to avoid 450,000 litres (120,000 gallons) of diesel fuel.

She said: “These fuel savings equal the jet fuel burnt in four seven-hour transatlantic flights. From an engine technology perspective, the e-buses are 77 per cent more energy efficient than their diesel counterparts due to the greater energy efficiency of electric motors.”

The 30 e-buses have saved $176,000 in fuel costs. These significant cost savings do not include savings related to maintenance and repair. EVs require less upkeep than ICEs, and therefore have a significantly lower total cost of ownership.

In addition, the fuel cost savings from the initial 30 e-buses have already covered the cost of a single bus — a landed cost of $132,000 — in less than a year of operation.

After Bermuda receives another 40 e-buses, by 2024 the 70-bus fleet will be recovering the upfront costs of more than three e-buses every year. Ms Gahlaut said: “It is important to note that since they have a lower purchase cost than their MAN diesel bus counterparts, there is no cost premium to be recovered as is often typical of electrification projects.”

She also noted the improved health and air quality, what she called “perhaps the most important success metric for e-buses”.

She stated: “Every month since April 2022, the 30 e-buses have avoided emitting 164 kilograms of nitrogen oxide and two kilograms of particulate matter that 30 gas-powered buses would have released.

“Given that both NOx and PM2.5 are found in diesel exhaust, and are harmful to humans even in low concentrations, the environmental and health effects of the e-buses are expected to significantly improve air quality, and by extension, residents' health.

“The buses also emit 37 per cent less carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled than comparable diesel buses due to their electric engines, which are more efficient than ICEs, so it’s not surprising that the 30 e-buses have saved approximately 440 tons of CO2, equivalent to the annual emissions from 240 personal gas-powered cars in Bermuda.“