Analysis on the State and Economy of Adding Fuel Boiler on Battery-Electric Buses in Cold Areas

Behind promotion and application of battery-electric buses in China, many cities in cold areas add fuel boilers for battery-electric buses to warm the cabin in winter, which has reduced the effect of energy-saving and emission reduction. This paper aims to understand installing oil-fired boilers and comparing the two schemes, with and without fuel boilers. Sixty-four public transportation companies in Northeast China are investigated, and the results show 92% of them have added fuel boilers in winter. The main reasons are the range of electric buses cannot support the operation for a day, and the cabin temperature is low. By comparing the actual usage with fuel boilers (Yichun, Heilongjiang) and without (Fushun, Liaoning), it is found that the average daily mileage and charging times. Furthermore, when the electricity price is low, no fuel boilers are more advantageous, indicating that more bus companies could do without fuel boilers through preferential electricity price policies.