Re:Hydrogen vs. Battery Buses: A European Transit Reality Ch...
by laurencerowe on Saturday April 19, 2025 @05:52PM
(#43739764)
Hybrid buses were a huge win around cities before fully electric became viable and I expect they will continue to be important for rural routes.
Buses stop frequently so regenerative breaking is meaningful and crucially they avoid the horrible cloud of diesel particulates as they pull off. It was really noticeable as a cyclist. About 40% co2 savings over diesel in London.
Buses have a completely different use case. They drive a well-known distance, and every day is practically identical. It is fairly easy to scale its battery pack to closely match the actual range needed. Running a true long-distance route like a Greyhound or Flixbus, which physically can't be battery-based yet? Just stick to diesel for now.