Electric Buses

To give some figures, courtesy of Kevin Brown of the University of Alberta, based on Canadian [Edmonton] experience, comparative emissions for the latest technology diesel and trolleybuses [expressed in grams of pollutant emitted per vehicle kilometre driven] are:

Diesel bus CO21657
CO4.3
NOx13
SO20.2
Particulates.7 HCs1.5

Trolleybus 891
0.06
1.98
Nil
Nil
Nil

In environmental terms, the trolleybus is clearly the cleanest vehicle going. Obviously this advantage can only be achieved if bus routes are wired up and this wiring has a cost, which has to be paid. However, on reasonably intensive routes, the full costs of providing the overhead wiring, should be able to be recouped from savings in the much lower maintenance costs of electric trolley vehicles compared with internal combustion engined vehicles - reference West Yorkshire PTE "Alternative Tractions Options Project" report 1980.

A current problem is the price of new trolley vehicles. When trolleybuses were in regular production in the UK in the past, a trolleybus cost about the same as a diesel bus. With the limited number of trolleybuses now being produced within the EU, the best price currently for a new trolleybus [e.g. for Athens], seems to be around double that of an equivalent diesel bus.

Initially, encouraging trolleybuses, would probably involve some additional funding from passengers, taxpayers, etc., compared with diesel buses. However, if the trolleybus were