The Robustness of Battery Electric Bus Transit Networks under Charging Infrastructure Disruptions

The optimization of battery electric buses (BEBs) systems in transit is receiving considerable scholarly and practical attention. The practice is to minimize the total system cost to inform the optimal resource allocation. However, a minimization approach is insensitive to assessing and accommodating the robustness of BEB transit systems under disruption. This study evaluates the robustness of the BEB transit system under charging infrastructure disruption using complex network theory. The results of a mid-size multi-hub network indicate that the BEB system is robust against disruption if the disruption is resolved in a timely manner (within one hour). Furthermore, multi-charger charging stations have severe impacts on the system’s robustness. Overall, the BEB system robustness is more sensitive to the hourly number of buses charging at each station and the duration of the charging events.