ELECTRIC VEHICLES: STUDY OF ENERGY DEMAND AND IMPACT ON INFRASTRUCTURE DUE TO THE INSERTION OF ELECTRIC BUSES IN GREATER SÃO PAULO
Buses have become essential for transporting people, both within large cities and between cities. In March 2020, 12,815 buses were responsible for transporting 8.7 million people every day through 1,336 lines distributed throughout the city of São Paulo. Means of transport, however, are responsible for approximately a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and the mode with the greatest growth prospects. For that, technologies such as electric vehicles are presented in order to meet the new legislation. To assess the real impact of the increase in the number of electric vehicles, it is necessary to assess the energy demand to be considered and the necessary restructuring of the electrical grid. The interactive map of energy in Brazil, WEBMAP EPE, was used to relate cross-sectional data to the insertion of electric buses in Brazil, together with data made available by the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment of the State of São Paulo, in order to clarify the impacts in energy demand and electrical infrastructure in São Paulo Metropolitan Region. The identification of the main bus depots was carried out in order to map the points of possible increase in electrical demand. Static data from public transport GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) were used to map all bus routes operating in the city of São Paulo to dimension the energy demand and CO2 emissions reduction projections in four different planning scenarios of electrification of the bus fleet. Even in the worst-case scenario, the impact on the current supply of electricity is not significant and can be addressed through the implementation of small measures or efficiency improvements in the distribution sector. The gradual replacement of current vehicles powered by combustion engines by electrified vehicles should contribute to sustainable development, reducing greenhouse gas emission rates in large urban centers. It is evident, therefore, according to the results, that scenarios 1 and 2 bring significant effects when it comes to the reduction of CO2 emissions.