Navlea Wang Capstone

For my capstone, I researched and analyzed the environmental and financial consequences of converting SEPTA’s current bus fleet into all-electric, zero-emission fleet.

Global warming is causing severe damage to our planet. It is destroying habitats, increasing weather-related disasters, and leading to higher sea levels, all of which harm people and wildlife. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by human activity are a main contributor to climate change.

About 30% of US’s total emissions and about 15% of global emissions come from the transportation sector. About 80% of these emissions are from burning fossil fuels to power road vehicles. About a quarter of transportation emissions come from medium or heavy duty vehicles, including commercial buses.

One way to decrease transportation-related emissions is to switch fuels, to not only use vehicles that are powered by fossil fuels. An example is to convert gas-powered vehicles to electric or hybrid ones that rely on electricity from renewable sources.

As a frequent rider of public transportation, I wondered: Would it make a difference, in terms of emissions and cost, if SEPTA’s bus fleet were converted to e-buses?

Capstone (More sources are listed in the last few pages of the paper): First Link

Bibliography: Second Link