Electric Buses: Worldwide Fleet Ten-Folded in the Last Two Years
A strong dynamic can be observed in the procurement of electric buses: the number of electric buses was multiplied by 10 between 2014 and 2016. Nevertheless, only 3 percent of the worldwide bus fleet is currently equipped with an electric drive system. It is expected that electric drive systems will continue to experience a dynamic growth. These are the key findings that the consulting company SCI Verkehr presents in its latest study “Buses – Global Market Trends”.
China is leading the demand for electric buses. The Chinese manufacturers of electric buses, Yutong, BYD, Nanjing, Zuhai and Huan dominate the world market with 53 000 electric buses sold in 2016. This accounts for about 50 percent of the world market share for buses with electric engines. Next to the large-scale Chinese manufacturers, an increasing number of small manufacturers tries to benefit from the growing market. Many established suppliers have so far been unable to offer a competitive electric bus model of their own.
The increase in sales of electric buses has contributed to an overall growth of the market volume. The market volume of buses of all types of drive systems grew by 18.6 percent between 2014 and 2016. Besides electric buses, other expensive types of propulsion systems such as hybrid or natural gas engines contributed to the positive development of market volume. Furthermore, sales of articulated buses has gained importance and many buses are now equipped with comprehensive driver assistance and passenger information systems. SCI Verkehr expects the market volume to grow by an average 4.3 percent p.a. between 2016 and 2022.
In the period between 2014 and 2016, the overall sales of buses increased substantially by 13 percent. In particular India and China contributed to this high growth rate. In Brazil, on the other hand, the number of sales continued to decline. It is expected that the Brazilian market will recover until 2022 and subsequently add to the global growth of 11 percent.
The number of manufactured buses increased as well during the investigated period. The output of buses is also championed by Chinese suppliers. Of the 450 000 buses that were produced in 2016, China alone delivered 42%. Other major production countries are India, the USA, Brazil and South Korea. In Western and Eastern Europe 45 000 buses were manufactured, including worldwide renown brands such as Mercedes-Benz, MAN and Scania.
SCI Verkehr analyses in its market study “Buses – Global Market Trends” the global market for the procurement and production of buses. The basis for these results is laid by an investigation on current fleets, new acquisitions and regulatory changes. Public municipal operators as well as new technological developments and conditions of infrastructure are part of the report. Furthermore, the study includes forecasts of the market volume of new vehicles and the market shares of important producers and their output. The appendix provides comprehensive information on the top manufacturers worldwide.
