Date: May 6th, 2021

To: Patrick Foye

      Chairman and CEO of the MTA

From: Erick Martinez, Freshman at The City College of New York

Subject: Proposal for Electric and Aerodynamic Buses

Purpose

The purpose of my proposal is for the production of more electric buses and making them more aerodynamic. I want to focus on improving the body shape of buses to reduce drag that will help also reduce travel times between stops so people can get to places on time. With my lab report and memo I have discussed how aerodynamics improves a vehicle’s efficiency and how electrical buses work better compared to diesel buses. 

Summary

I chose to work on the MTA system because it has made traveling in the city easy thanks to the transit system. I specifically focused on buses only. I want to change them into electrical vehicles and make them more aerodynamic to improve our society. 

Currently the MTA are slowly pushing away from diesel buses and are currently working with hybrid vehicles. I want to propose a plan to make a switch to electric. Currently we are operating 25 fully electric buses in our city with over 55% of our bus fleet running on diesel fuel and another portion running as hybrid (Guse, 2021). Many countries have made the switch and have seen an improvement in the reduction of pollution and also the health of their people. With air pollution being a key factor to pollution in our city electric vehicles will produce no combustion. 

With remodeling our buses to electric, we should also redesign how they look. Our buses are already fuel inefficient, all using too much power in their engines to travel between stops. More reasons to remodel the buses because it will reduce fuel usage and become more easier to travel through the forces that tend to slow it down (Vasanthe Roy, 2018). Making the buses more aerodynamic will not only look pleasing to commuters, but also help the bus reduce its drag coefficient and use less power to move along the roads of NYC. 

New York City would be able to save much more money as electric vehicles don’t require much maintenance since they are dealing with less parts to power their engine. While electric buses may be expensive when purchasing in the long run, they will cost less to keep running. Looking at a 12 year run between regular buses and electrical buses, the city will be able to save $1.4 million when running with electrical busses (Aber, 2016). With this, we may see a reduction in fare rides in our buses so more people will be able to commute around our city using public transportation.

Introduction

The city that never sleeps will never stop being loud and some people can handle it while others find it as a bother. Loud vehicles always pass by especially if you live near bus routes or a bus stop. I want to propose a new improvement to the MTA that can align with the green new deal. The green new deal was passed in 2019 to improve infrastructure and our environment to combat climate change (Ocasio-Cortez, 2019). Hybrid buses are currently in use and while buses may produce less combustion into the air they are still using fuel which as we are seeing as of now can be expensive. I want to introduce the benefits of switching to more aerodynamic electric vehicles.

New York City has a big pollution problem. Air pollution is New York’s leading threat in our residents’ health and safety. During 2005 through 2007 testing was done to see the health impacts from vehicle combustion to our city residents. They have recorded 5,970 related visits regarding the pollution that has affected people with and without asthma and people under and over 18 years of age. (New York Department of Health and Hygiene). Air pollution has been a common issue that our city has been trying to get away from. Visits regarding one’s health about air pollution only have increased through recent years and our environment hasn’t improved as much. The time for change is now before time is no longer in our favor.  

With a design change to our buses, that will allow us to create more room for passengers to fit in and not be as cramped as they usually are especially during rush hour, buses will run more efficiently. While we are making the change to electric buses, We would push for aerodynamic buses to be able to reduce fuel consumption. Buses are really inefficient when it comes to fuel consumption so adding a change will provide the MTA to spend less money on refueling their buses. (Vasanthe Roy, 2018)

The boundary conditions test was a test that was run in a simulation between today’s bus models and bus models that have been modified to change the intercity buses. Today’s baseline models in the MTA are usually box shaped. The Modified model is reshaped to be rounder with a diffuser angled at 100 at the rear. It is also fitted with a floor panel height of 0.5m to increase stability and handling.  Figure 1 down below shows the model of a concept bus currently being tested with a larger diffuser angel at 150 and floor panel reduced to 0.4m. The modified shape of the buses will help with achieving maximum streamline flow with reduced drag (Vasanthe Roy, 2018).

Figure 1 Conceptual Model

Table 1 : List of Boundary Conditions

Speed KM/H	Baseline Model (Fd) Area= 2500 x 3330 mm^2	Modified Model (Fd1) Area= 2500 x 3330 mm^2
10	33.434	22.702
20	132.393	88.049
30	293.031	193.793
40	517.986	340.416
50	805.129	529.017
60	1155.279	755.222
70	1562.937	1020.625
80	2045.478	1326.758
90	2548.061	1674.099

 

With pollution we spend more money on providing care for our residents rather than looking for ways to eliminate the cause of these issues. When switching to an electrical bus we would be able to save $1.28 million on healthecare and carbon cost for our people. When the cost of fuel comes into play we would be able to save around $400,000 and $125,000 on maintenance over time (Maloney, 2019). 

Proposed Task

With the approval of the  CEO of MTA and Gov. Cuomo I could proceed with my proposal in reinventing our MTA bus system. It would meet the city’s plan to have a full electric bus fleet by 2040. These tasks would carry out in 5 steps: 

• Retiring buses nearing or at 15 years of service

MTA buses usually stay in service for about 12-15 years and are scrapped. Their parts are sold off or recycled in a facility in Eastchester. (Martinez, Spectrum News)  The city is always changing and we have to keep moving with the city. 

• Set Charging Stations inside MTA Depots

For now Electric buses have a range of 50-90 miles on one charge. But there are factors that do come into play like weather, traffic, and how many passengers there are on the buses (Krisel). Refueling will cost less for the MTA while using electricity instead of using regular fuel.. 

• Replace with New MTA Vehicles

With new vendors like Proterra and New Flyer would help produce our first few electric buses for overnight and day routes which would be tested over the 3 year period (MTA). Along the M60 bus route going from the LaGuardia airport to West 106th street in Manhattan electric buses have already been placed to foresee further testing with electric buses (Krisel). The buses will change to the new aerodynamic electric buses as hybrid and diesel buses go out of service so there will be a smooth transition throughout the MTA.

• Lower MTA Fare

With electric buses the MTA would be using less money to maintain their condition compared to regular hybrid/fuel buses. The electric buses will cost more upfront but will cost much less throughout their service. With the addition of remodeling these buses, they will use less battery power to run throughout the city. A reduction in the MTA would result in more people using the MTA which will reduce the amount of people who will use their cars. Less cars on the road would result not only in less combustion in the air but also less traffic to help buses get people on time to their locations. 

Schedule

Task 1 is currently underway with the MTA currently having 25 electrical buses that are fully functioning and running on bus routes as of November of 2020 (Martinez). Bus depots with charging stations are set along Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn where electrical buses are running through. They will expand through the following years and be massly spread throughout the city starting 2030 with accomplishing our goal of having a full transformation by 2040. The reduction of fares will go into effect around 2038 nearing completion of the electrical bus plan. 

Budget

Budgeting for the MTA will benefit them with saving money. Electric buses have proven to cost less when it comes to maintenance and recharging it. The price to buy the buses first is going to be more expensive than your standard hybrid/diesel bus. In table 1 and 4 you don’t only see the pricing when first buying the buses and their maintenance, but also the cost of carbon emissions, and health care cost for our people. We will also be able to save money on the health of our people.

New York City does have one of the worst air pollution in America and one of the main reasons why is the emissions on our buses. They produce air pollution that affects the people of NYC. Many breathing related problems are from what these buses export out the vehicle. With electric buses we will see less air pollution in the city and many people will have an easier time breathing.

Table 1: Alternative – Lifetime Cost of Electric Bus vs. Diesel Bus Including Healthcare Cost and Cost of Carbon

Table 2: Calculations of CO2e Emissions for CO2, CH4, N20 For Current Buses

Table 3: Calculation of CO2e Emissions for CO2, CH4, N20 for Electric Buses 

Table 2 and 3 show the calculations of how much methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N20), and carbon dioxide (CO2) the standard buses and electric buses produce when they are out running their routes throughout their service. Standard buses produce more of these chemicals than electric buses due to the fuel usage and combustion exiting the vehicle. 

Table 4: Financial Analysis between Electrical Buses and Current Buses

Conclusion 

NYC is home to 8 million people and if there is one thing that many people have either used or have been stuck behind in traffic it is the MTA. I depend on it for school and to get to places where I am needed. It affects those who use it and those who do not. Traffic problems and health issues have been a rise and with the redesign of our MTA we will be able to reduce emissions so our buses can stop contributing to air pollution in our city and also get people to their destination on time with a faster bus.

As this city moves forward we should upgrade our transportation system. With this proposal it should help sway on pushing forward onto the next generation of the MTA. Money can be saved and used to help with school funding in lower income neighborhoods. Bring more foods to those who live in the city. Electric buses will help use less money for maintenance and will require a lower bus fare. It will allow for more people to use transportation without worrying about the prices. Encouraging more people to leave their cars and use the bus which would result in reduced traffic on our roads.

References

Maloney, Peter. “Electric Buses for Mass Transit Seen as Cost Effective.” Electric Buses for Mass Transit Seen as Cost Effective | American Public Power Association, 17 Oct. 2019, www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/electric-buses-mass-transit-seen-cost-effective. 

Aber, Judah. “Electric Bus Analysis for New York City Transit.” Electricschoolbuscampaign.org, Electricschoolbuscampaign.org, May 2016, electricschoolbuscampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Electric-Bus-Analysis-for-NYC-Transit.pdf. 

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria. “Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to Create a Green New Deal.” Congress.gov, 7 Feb. 2019, www.congress.gov/116/bills/hres109/BILLS-116hres109ih.pdf. 

Matte, Thomas. “Air Pollution and the Health of New Yorkers.” NYC.gov, 2007, www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/eode/eode-air-quality-impact.pdf. 

Guse, Clayton. “Please Enable Cookies.” StackPath, 27 Apr. 2021, www.masstransitmag.com/bus/vehicles/hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicles/news/21220212/ny-mta-plans-to-only-buy-electric-buses-come-2028-as-officials-map-greener-future-for-nyc-transit. 

Roy, J. Vasanthe. Aerodynamic Design Improvement for an Intercity Bus, 30 July 2018, core.ac.uk/download/pdf/229809721.pdf.