With the support of EUROCLIMA+, policy guidelines were generated for the conversion of buses from diesel to electric.
25 February 2022, Buenos Aires, Argentina- The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) is the most densely populated city in Argentina and has a highly developed and modern urban public passenger transport system. More than 8000 urban buses circulate daily in the city.
The engine technology used is diesel cycle internal combustion. Although these engines are more efficient in terms of fossil fuel consumption than Otto cycle engines (gasoline) and allow the use of mixtures with vegetable oils, they are a major source of gaseous and noise pollution.
For this reason, the world is currently in a process of transition towards the use of clean technologies in passenger transport networks, and electric engines are an interesting solution. Many countries are promoting the replacement of combustion technologies with electric technologies.
However, the process of incorporating new technologies or replacing existing ones must consider their adaptation to the regulatory frameworks in force in terms of vehicle safety, registration of ownership and circulation on public roads. Currently, Argentina has an easily identifiable regulatory framework for new vehicles that are incorporated into the transport fleet and that have electric technologies. However, in the case of vehicle conversion (replacement of diesel engines with electric engines), there is a gap in the existing regulations and therefore an appropriate study of the existing institutions is required in order to ensure a correct and adequate implementation.
Therefore, as part of the support offered by the Sustainable Urban Mobility Platform in Latin America of the EUROCLIMA+ Programme in collaboration with the Sustentar Association and the Transport Working Group of the LEDS LAC platform, technical assistance was provided to contribute to the implementation of a pilot test of a converted public passenger transport unit (from diesel to electric) on lines 61/62 of La Central Vicelente Lopez S.A., in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
What are the guidelines for the conversion of buses from Diesel to Electric?
They are articulated around three axes: (1) active and passive vehicle safety, (2) traffic on public roads, and (3) ownership registration, and include:
- Description of the current regulations on the circulation of passenger transport vehicles in Argentina.
- Analysis of international regulations for vehicle retrofitting. In particular, the cases of Royal Decree 866/2010 of the Government of Spain, which regulates the procedure for retrofitting vehicles after their final registration, and the proposal for a regulatory framework to accelerate investment in electromobility through the conversion of vehicles that use fossil fuels, published by ECLAC for the Government of Chile, were considered.
- Analysis of the regulatory procedures necessary for the correct registration of changes from diesel to electric buses.
- Identification of the technical tests and availability of technological infrastructure (testing laboratories) for the performance of technical validations.
Analysis of the technical modifications introduced in the vehicles, based on the case of the Voltu Motor company. This is a pilot test that will be implemented in CABA once the conversion process has been completed and the unit complies with all safety and registration requirements in order to be put into service.
What will be the impact?
The guidelines lay the groundwork for consolidated work on vehicle retrofitting; contribute to climate change mitigation; and accelerate the transition to zero-emission mobility.
Camila Fernandez Castro, Low Emission Coordination, General Directorate of Design and Implementation, Undersecretariat of Mobility Planning, Secretariat of Transport and Public Works, CABA:
"The technical assistance experience provided was very positive. Research work was carried out on the regulatory and institutional framework required for the conversion of diesel-powered buses to another technology such as electricity in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) and Argentina. A complete and comprehensive report was developed as a first instance to address and understand the guidelines for implementing such a conversion to a vehicle of the CABA Public Transport System. Often this type of work is complex or difficult to address in the dynamics of day-to-day work, so in our case it was very useful and coincided with one of our main strategic axes, as is Technological Change for low emission and more sustainable transport. In this way the report contributes to the actions that the City Government is carrying out in response to the negative effects of Climate Change".
For more information consult the infographic and the testimony
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
For more information:
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www.euroclimaplus.org/en/mobility