TRAFFIC EFFICIENCY & MOBILITY
Moscow
THE ROAD TO HYDROGEN
As sustainable technologies and alternative fuels become ever more mainstream, Moscow is drawing its public transport fleets away from polluting sources. The city is off to a hydrogen-propelled flying start, says Maksim Liksutov
Electric bus in Moscow , © Anna Ilarionova via Pixabay
Change is afoot in public transport. In the struggle to reduce emissions and meet looming climate targets, cities and regions across the globe are striving to integrate alternative fuels into their public transport vehicles.
Traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs) are a thing of the past – especially if the Russian capital Moscow is anything to go by. As the city renews its investment in alternative fuels for its public transport system, it strives to slash transport related emissions.
Sustainable public transport across Europe (and beyond)
Across Europe, cities are stepping up their commitments to alternative fuels. For example, the London Transport Strategy envisages its transformation into a “carbon-free city” by 2050 and the complete elimination of emissions from public transport by 2037. London is committed to purchasing only zero-emission buses from 2025. Across the channel, in Paris, there is hope to solve the problem even faster. The authorities in the French capital plan to purchase more than 800 electric buses in the coming years. The first 150 units will be purchased by 2022. By 2025, all buses should be 100% clean, using both electricity and biofuels.
Bus in Moscow, © Moscow Transport
Maksim Liksutov
Stockholm, Oslo, Barcelona, Milan – now all the leading European cities are working in this direction. Moscow, a city home to a growing range of sustainable mobility solutions, is joining this cohort. Over the last few years, the Russian capital has been developing its mobility services, instituting new cleaner and accessible modes of travel. The city – which boasts the densest rail transport network and world-record growth rate in the number of electric buses on city routes – has been developing smart parking and ticket systems, new cycle infrastructure and ride sharing solutions.
Over the last few years, the Russian capital has been developing its mobility services, instituting new cleaner and accessible modes of travel
LiAZ-6274 electric bus on line T74 in Moscow , © Meriya Moskvy (Government of Moscow)/Moscow Transport
Investing in a cleaner future
Between 2010 and 2019, daily passenger traffic on public transport networks leapt from 16.7 to 20 million journeys per weekday; two-thirds of these journeys were made using electric transport. Moscow announced plans to develop environmentally friendly transport in 2017 – the mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree according to which starting in 2021 the Russian capital will buy only electric buses for its needs; buses with internal combustion engines can be purchased only until the launch of serial production of electric buses of especially large capacity. Taking into account the plans to commission electric buses in Russia and other countries by 2040, their number will exceed 1.3 million worldwide and will amount to more than 50% of the total world bus fleet – a clear statistic that show how the near future of transport lies in energy-efficient technologies, such as electric motors and hydrogen fuel cells, which do not pollute the environment during operation.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree that committed Moscow to buy only electric buses for its needs
In October 2020, the Moscow fleet welcomed its 500th electric bus, © M. Mishin, Meriya Moskvy (Government of Moscow)/Moscow Transport
It all began with electric buses…
Since 2019, Russia has been accepting the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, including with respect to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. According to the agreement, by 2030, emissions should be no more than 70% of the 1990 level. The energy strategy of Russia assumes a 13-15% reduction in specific fuel consumption in transport by 2035 - in particular, through the use of renewable energy sources and alternative fuels, such as hydrogen. More than two years ago, the authorities in the Russian capital began to replace diesel buses with electric buses. Now there are 600 of them in Moscow, representing almost 10% of the surface transport fleet, making it among the European leaders in this field. This year this share will become even higher – it is planned to purchase other 400 electric buses. In plans for 2022 there are 420 more. And by the end of 2023, more than 2,200 electric buses will operate in Moscow. In 2020 alone, the volume of carbon dioxide emissions from the Moscow bus fleet decreased by 400 tons.
Hydrogen is turning heads
The next step in the development of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly transport is the use of hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity directly on the bus itself, where the main fuel is hydrogen, and there is no need for charging stations. Hydrogen road transport is already being tested in a number of Asian and European countries. There are more than 500 hydrogen filling stations in the world, of which about 30% are intended for refuelling only hydrogen buses, and the prospect of the widespread introduction of hydrogen transport can have a horizon of up to 30 years, which in general can be attributed to the timing of the introduction of hydrogen buses in Moscow. When the city became interested in this technology, Moscow turned to its colleagues from NAMI (State Research Centre of the Russian Federation – also known as the Central research and development automobile and engine institute) for an assessment of the performance of hydrogen transport. The city analysed the energy efficiency of city buses running on different types of fuel: diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, and electricity. The study showed that electric and hydrogen power plants can reduce CO2 emissions tenfold or more during the operation phase. Refuelling with hydrogen can provide the required mileage and can be carried out once a day, while the battery becomes significantly smaller in size, but it remains needed as a buffer for electricity, the consumption of which is uneven during movement. Interestingly, it appears that Moscow will be ready to test hydrogen buses with a 100% safe sample, including a charger. Moscow’s experience, as well as the one of the world's leading countries in the field of sustainable mobility show that the future belongs to electrified transport, which, with the help of various modern technologies, becomes an excellent replacement for cars with internal combustion engines, both in terms of environmental and operational indicators.
Moscow streets by night, © Serbuxarev via Pixabay
Maksim Liksutov is Deputy Mayor of Moscow Transport. Contact him: liksutov_office@mos.ru
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