Evaluating the feasibility of electric vehicle technology for paratransit in Africa through simulation.
| dc.contributor.advisor | Booysen, Thinus | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Abraham, Chris | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-02-29T06:54:24Z | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-26T09:18:53Z | en_ZA |
| dc.date.available | 2024-02-29T06:54:24Z | en_ZA |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-26T09:18:53Z | en_ZA |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-03 | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As the world rapidly takes up Electric Vehicles (EVs) as a replacement to the conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, no research has been done (prior to this issertation) to evaluate this new technology’s suitability for minibus paratransit, Africa’s most widespread public transport system. One of the main reasons for this gap is that, due to the unregulated, informal nature of minibus taxis, there is a severe lack of data of their routes and schedules, both in quality and quantity. This has led to African transportation planners to make uninformed decisions regarding the future of public transport and minibus taxis. In addition, there is no indication whether EV technology will be able to meet the technical performance requirements of taxis. This dissertation changes the research landscape in Africa as it evaluates the technical feasibility, challenges and opportunities of adopting EV technology for minibus paratransit in Africa. In order to achieve this, a simulation tool was developed which supports the two paratransit data collection approaches found for African taxis: passenger based and vehicle based data. The data quality is evaluated and compared. Although the diversity of geographical locations covered by passenger-based data allow an overall perspective, the information available from the approach is found to be limited for paratransit electrification e valuations. While passenger based simulations provide overall energy consumption estimates of their paratransit systems, vehicle based simulations also provide detailed findings on the opportunities for charging stations, renewable energy charging, and energy usage patterns of individual vehicles of the system. Some key findings include that around 120 kWh would be required for the average taxi on an average weekday (as calculated using vehicle-based data). Taxis across Africa exhibited a similar energy usage profile which p eaked i n t he morning a nd e vening r ush h ours. The o ff-peak hours presented a valuable opportunity for charging, reducing the battery size required in the EV. Since the off-peak h ours i ncluded a midday l ull i n a ctivity, t he o pportunity f or s olar charging was also investigated. In a South African scenario, around 170 m2 was required to power one taxi completely off the grid, neglecting battery storage opportunities and assuming that the taxi only utilised the Photovoltaics (PV) when it stopped to charge. Another finding was that conventional battery-powered EVs would not s tore enough energy to power the long-distance trips that many taxis make on weekends. As an alternative, Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) technology was investigated by extending the simulation tool to include FCV models. This analysis indicated that a taxi would require 40 kg of Hydrogen for each leg of its weekend trip. These and other findings presented in the dissertation provide metrics which highlight the feasibility, challenges and opportunities of adopting EVs in the minibus taxi sector. The findings will provide governmental transport and infrastructure planners to make data-driven decisions regarding the future state of paratransit. They will also allow EV manufacturers to tailor their designs more closely to the needs of minibus taxis. The simulation tool, available at https: //ev-fleet-sim.online, can also be used for evaluating EV feasibility of any vehicle fleet, aside from taxis, and can thus be useful for companies seeking to convert delivery vans, trucks, etc. As a result of this seminal work on taxi electrification, a number of further studies were derived by other authors, to apply the methodology onto various scenarios in other contexts. These further studies have provided valuable feedback which led to adaptations in the methodology. At the time of submission, the dissertation calls for future work on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications for taxis, smart route and schedule planning for EV taxis, optimum charging station positioning (especially for long-distance trips), the use of batteries and Renewable Energy Generators (REGs) to stabilise power requirements of charging stations from the grid, and verifying the results of this study with a physical taxi, amongst others. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Aangesien die wˆereld vinnig elektriese voertuie (EV’s) opneem as ’n plaasvervanger vir die konvensionele binnebrandenjin-voertuie, is geen navorsing gedoen (voor hierdie proefskrif) om hierdie nuwe tegnologie se geskiktheid vir minibus-paratransit, Afrika se mees wydverspreide openbare vervoerstelsel, te evalueer nie. Een van die hoofredes vir hierdie gaping is dat, weens ie ongereguleerde, informele aard van minibustaxi’s, daar ’n ernstige gebrek aan data van hul roetes en skedules is, beide in kwaliteit en kwantiteit. Dit het daartoe gelei dat Afrika-vervoerbeplanners oningeligte besluite neem oor die toekoms van openbare vervoer en minibustaxi’s. Boonop is daar geen aanduiding of EV-tegnologie aan die tegniese werkverrigtingvereistes van taxi’s sal kan voldoen nie. Hierdie proefskrif verander die navorsingslandskap in Afrika aangesien dit die tegniese uitvoerbaarheid, uitdagings en geleenthede evalueer om EV-tegnologie vir minibusparatransit in Afrika aan te neem. Om hierdie doelwitte te behaal, is ’n simulasie-platform ontwikkel wat die twee paratransitdata- insamelingsbenaderings vir Afrika-taxi’s te ondersteun, naamlik: passasiersgebaseerde en voertuiggebaseerde data. Die datakwaliteit word ge¨evalueer en vergelyk. Alhoewel die diversiteit van geografiese l iggings wat d eur p assasiergebaseerde d ata g edek word ’ n a lgehele perspektief moontlik maak, word gevind dat die inligting wat deur die benadering beskikbaar is, beperk is vir paratransit-elektrifikasie-evaluasies. Terwyl p assasiergebaseerde s imulasies a lgehele energieverbruikskattings van hul paratransitstelsels verskaf, verskaf voertuiggebaseerde simulasies ook gedetailleerde bevindinge oor die geleenthede vir laaistasies, laai met hernubare energie en energiegebruikpatrone van individuele voertuie van die stelsel. Sommige sleutelbevindinge sluit in dat ongeveer 120 kWh vir die gemiddelde taxi taxi op ’n gemiddelde weeksdag benodig word (soos bereken met behulp van voertuiggebaseerde data). Taxi’s regoor Afrika het almal ’n soortgelyke energieverbruiksprofiel getoon wat in die oggenden aandspitsure ’n hoogtepunt bereik. Die buitespitsure het ’n waardevolle geleentheid gebied om te laai, wat die batterygrootte wat in die EV benodig word verminder het. Aangesien die buite-spitsure ’n middagstilte in aktiwiteit ingesluit het, is die geleentheid vir sonkraglaai ook ondersoek. In ’n Suid-Afrikaanse scenario was ongeveer 170 m2 nodig om een taxi heeltemal sonder die elektrisiteitsnetwerk aan te dryf, wat batterybergingsgeleenthede uitsluit en aanvaar dat die taxi slegs die fotovolta¨ıese (PV) gebruik het wanneer dit stilhou om te laai. Nog ’n bevinding was dat konvensionele battery-aangedrewe EV’s nie genoeg energie sou stoor om die langafstandritte wat taxi’s oor naweke maak, aan te dryf nie. As alternatief is randstofselvoertuig (FCV)-tegnologie ondersoek deur die simulasie-instrument uit te brei om FCV-modelle in te sluit. Hierdie ontledings het aangedui dat ’n taxi 40 kg waterstof benodig vir elke been van sy naweekrit. Hierdie en ander bevindinge wat in die proefskrif aangebied word, verskaf maatstawwe wat die haalbaarheid, uitdagings en geleenthede beklemtoon om EV’s in die minibustaxisektor aan te neem. Die bevindinge sal regeringsvervoer- en infrastruktuurbeplanners bemagtig om datagedrewe besluite te neem met betrekking tot die toekomstige toestand van paratransit. Hulle sal ook EV-vervaardigers toelaat om hul ontwerpe nader aan te pas by die behoeftes van minibustaxi’s. Die simulasie-instrument kan ook gebruik word vir die evaluering van EV-haalbaarheid van enige voertuigvloot, afgesien van taxi’s, en kan dus nuttig wees vir maatskappye wat afleweringswaens, vragmotors, ens. wil omskep. Die baanbrekerwerk oor taxi-elektrifisering hier aangebied, het gelei tot verdere studies deur ander outeurs, wie die metodologie op verskeie scenario’s in ander kontekste toegepas het. Hierdie verdere studies het waardevolle terugvoer verskaf wat die metodologie aansienlik verbeter het. Ten tyde van indiening stel die proefskrif toekomstige werk oor voertuig-tot-netwerk-toepassings vir taxi’s voor, naamlik: slim roete- en skedulebeplanning vir EV-taxi’s, optimale laaistasieposisionering (veral vir langafstandritte), die gebruik van batterye en Hernubare Energieopwekkers (REG’s) om kragvereistes van laaistasies vanaf die netwerk te stabiliseer, en om die resultate van hierdie studie onder andere met ’n fisiese taxi te verifieer. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctorate | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xviii, 163 pages : illustrations. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130210 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Evaluating the Feasibility; Electric Vehicle Technology; Paratransit in Africa through Simulation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Electric vehicles -- Simulation methods | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Computer simulation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Internal combustion engines | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | UCTD | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Evaluating the feasibility of electric vehicle technology for paratransit in Africa through simulation. | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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