Converting COTA Buses to

Electric Buses
Olivia Farinas, Mia Huber, Zach Jones, Rachel Zhan
Engineering 2367.01H, Team 5
The Ohio State University
November 2, 201
Presentation Roadmap

• Current situation
• Climate change
• Causes
• Effects
• Proposed Solution
• Converting to electric
• Increasing Bus Ridership
• Conclusion
Current
Situation

(Scharfsinn, n.d.)
 What are Greenhouse Gases?

• Thicken Earth's blanket

• Created by transportation, agriculture, and
industry
Transportation is the
Leading Contributor
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions in the U.S.
Light duty, personal vehicles
contributed 1085.4 Tg of greenhouse
gases in 2019 (EPA, 2019)

(SCL, 2018)
 COTA Buses
2
6

79
234

Electric Hybrid Compressed Natural Gas Diesel

(Horne, 2021)
Climate Change
Leads to Extreme (Kaleido, 2020)

Weather

(Columbus Navigator, 2020)

 Contaminated
Drinking Sources
• Increased precipitation -->
increased nutrient inflow
• Increased nutrient inflow +
hotter weather = Harmful
Algal Blooms

(Haslick, n.d.)
Health Issues
Solution

(Scharfsinn, n.d.)
Electrify COTA’s Bus Fleet
& Promote New Buses

• Reduce emissions from buses to zero

• Increase ridership of buses
• Reduce the number of cars driven and their emissions

• Improve public health

• Prepare for the future of energy

(Warren, 2021)
Switch Buses to Electric

“Using higher, yet justifiable,

assumptions for methane leaks and its
global warming potential, the global
warming emissions of natural gas
buses can change from 12 percent less
than diesel (as used in this study) to 20
percent greater than diesel” (O’Dea,
2021)
Increase Bus Usage

COTA trips taken in 2019 Columbus population in 2010

19,141,500 1,368,035

The average citizen in Columbus took 14 trips on COTA buses

(American Public Transportation Association, 2021, 33)
Increase Student Ridership

“Of all riders, 71% are employed and 7% are students” (American Public Transportation
Association, 2021)
• Increase the amount students use buses through social media marketing campaign
• Students will value buses after they graduate
• Create a culture that values and utilizes public transportation
Economic Importance

• Non-renewable vs renewable
• Price – present and future
• Quantity – present and future
• Efficiency
• “When comparing the logged data, the BEB [Battery Electric Buses] fuel economy
is more than 8 times higher than that of a CNG bus operating exclusively on Line
291” (Eudy & Jeffers, 2017)
 Zero Emission Buses and Public Health

Adoption of 25% electric vehicles in the US

Decrease
in 242
million
metric tons
in CO2
emissions
437 deaths avoided from
PM 2.5 and 98 deaths
avoided from ozone
annually
Zero Emission Buses and Public Health
Reducing 20% of car emissions in the Midwest

Adopt electric buses to Reduce mortality by

reduce car emissions 525 deaths per year
Conclusion:
• New electric buses
• Increase use of public transport
• Decrease GHG emissions
• Better public health

(Warren, 2021)
Thank you for listening
Are there any questions?
 References
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running-next-week-bw1/