This paper assesses the two technologies leading the decarbonisation of Australia's bus fleet, finding that battery-electric buses (BEBs) are significantly more cost-effective and offer greater emissions reductions than hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses (FCEBs) particularly when powered by renewable energy.

The Australian transport sector is projected to become the largest contributor to national emissions by 2030. The authors of this paper highlight the significant opportunity presented by the decarbonisation of Australia's bus fleet (which is largely publicly owned and funded) and argue that electrifying Australia’s buses should be a priority for state governments for air quality and climate reasons.  

At present, the decarbonisation of Australia’s bus fleet is focused on two competing technologies; the authors argues that the choice between these technologies should be clear given that BEBs have key advantages over FCEBs. The authors caution that the pursuit of a "renewable energy superpower" status based on green hydrogen exports should not come at the expense of neglecting readily available solutions for domestic decarbonisation such as BEBs for public transport. The paper concludes that current FCEB trials should be abandoned and resources redirected toward the rapid rollout of BEBs.

Key findings

• FCEBs are between 15 and 32 times more expensive to run than BEBs. 
• If run on green hydrogen, FCEBs use more than three times more renewable electricity than BEBs. 
• If run on hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, FCEBs produce significantly more greenhouse emissions than BEBs.
•  A BEB can travel significantly further on the same amount of renewable energy compared to an FCEB.
• Battery-powered electric buses are a mature technology and are commercially available. 

Recommendations

1. Current trials of hydrogen buses should be abandoned.
2. Resources currently spent on hydrogen buses should be redirected to acquiring battery electric models.