Ray of hope for sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit: Solar charging of urban electric minibus taxis in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorAbraham, C.J.
dc.contributor.authorRix, A.J.
dc.contributor.authorNdibatya, I.
dc.contributor.authorBooysen, M.J.
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-04T18:35:49Z
dc.date.available2022-06-04T18:35:49Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.description.abstractMinibus taxi public transport is a seemingly chaotic phenomenon in the developing cities of the Global South with unique mobility and operational characteristics. Eventually this ubiquitous fleet of minibus taxis is expected to transition to electric vehicles, which will result in an additional energy burden on Africa's already fragile electrical grids. This paper examines the electrical energy demands of this possible evolution, and presents a generic simulation environment to assess the grid impact and charging opportunities. We used GPS tracking and spatio-temporal data to assess the energy requirements of nine electric minibus taxis as well as the informal and formal stops at which the taxis can recharge. Given the region's abundant sunshine, we modelled a grid-connected solar photovoltaic charging system to determine how effectively PV may be used to offset the additional burden on the electrical grid. The mean energy demand of the taxis was 213kWh/d, resulting in an average efficiency of 0.93kWh/km. The stopping time across taxis, a proxy for charging opportunity, ranged from 7.7 h/d to 10.6 h/d. The energy supplied per surface area of PV to offset the charging load of a taxi while stopping, ranged from 0.38 to 0.90kWh/m2 per day. Our simulator, which is publicly available, and the results will allow traffic planners and grid operators to assess and plan for looming electric vehicle roll-outs.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAbraham, C. J., Rix, A. J., Ndibatya, I., & Booysen, M. J. (2021). Ray of hope for sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit: Solar charging of urban electric minibus taxis in South Africa. Energy for Sustainable Development, 64, 118-127.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2021.08.003en_US
dc.identifier.issn0973-0826
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/3672
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherEnergy for Sustainable Developmenten_US
dc.subjectElectric vehicle; Paratransit; Minibus taxi; Demand management; Renewable energyen_US
dc.titleRay of hope for sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit: Solar charging of urban electric minibus taxis in South Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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