Modern diesel, CNG, LPG, and electric buses provide cleaner alternatives to traditional diesel buses. However, each option has advantages and disadvantages for application in Kazakhstan. Modern diesel requires availability of clean fuel, while CNG needs a natural gas pipeline and expensive fueling stations. LPG is widely available but must address low temperature evaporation. Electric buses have zero local emissions but are expensive with limited production and infrastructure. Pilot testing electric buses could help evaluate their longer term potential in Kazakhstan.

1. SHORT OVERVIEW OF CLEAN FUELS
AND TECHNOLOGIES IN PUBLIC
TRANSPORT: CNG, LPG, DIESEL
EURO6 AND ELECTRIC BUSES
Rafał Stanek
SST-CONSULT /Kommunalkredit Public Consulting
Promoting Clean Urban Public Transport in Kazakhstan:
Designing a Green Investment Programme
13 December 2016, Astana

2. • Pollution from traditional diesel
engines
• CNG
• LPG
• Modern diesel
• Electric buses
Structure of the presentation

3. Diesel engines, especially old, contribute to air
pollution which is a major environmental risk to
health
What is the problem with
traditional diesel buses
Diesel engines
generates a lot of:
- CO2
- CO
- NOx
- SO2
- PM (2.5 and 10)

4. World Health Organization says diesel exhaust
causes cancer (2012)
What is the problem with
traditional diesel buses

5. Diesel exhaust is a Group 1 carcinogen, which
causes lung cancer and has a positive association
with bladder cancer
What is the problem with
traditional diesel buses

6. • NOx causes a wide variety of health and
environmental impacts
• It formulates a Ground-level Ozone (Smog)
• Acid Rain - NOx and sulphur dioxide react
• NOx reacts with ammonia, moisture, and
other compounds to form nitric acid and
related particles
• Global Warming - One member of the NOx,
nitrous oxide, is a greenhouse gas
What is the problem with
traditional diesel buses

7. Response are new emission limits

8. Response are new emission limits
Current global status of sulphur content in diesel

9. Response are new emission limits
However, actual emissions in
the city cycle are higher

10. • CNG does not contain any lead, thereby eliminating
fouling of spark lugs
• CNG powered vehicles
have lower maintenance
costs
• CNG fuel systems are
sealed, preventing fuel
losses from spills
or evaporation
• CNG-powered vehicles are considered to be safer
CNG buses

11. • CNG emits significantly less pollution
directly than gasoline or diesel when
combusted
•Due to low CO2 emissions, switching to
CNG can help mitigate GHG emissions.
However, natural gas leaks represent an
increase in GHG emissions
CNG buses

12. • The number of vehicles in the world using
CNG has grown steadily (30% per year)
• Often used in Iran, Pakistan, Italy, the
Asia-Pacific region (Seoul), Indian capital of
Delhi, and other large cities
• Its use has increased in South America,
Europe and North America because of rising
gasoline prices
CNG buses

13. • It burns relatively cleanly with no soot and
very few sulphur emissions
• It is non-toxic, non-corrosive and free of
tetraethyl lead or any additives, and has a
high octane rating
• It burns more cleanly than petrol or fuel-
oil and is especially free of the particulates
present in the latter
• Inherent advantage of LPG over CNG is
that it requires far less compression
LPG buses

14. • LPG is losing momentum in the EU, USA and
Japan, particularly when compared to electric
mobility
• However, LPG is still promising in developing
markets like in China, India and Russia
• The LPG market is dominated (not only buses),
by 5 countries, which together account for
almost half of global consumption: Turkey (4
million vehicles), Russia (3 million), Poland (2.8
million), Korea (2.4 million) and Italy (2 million)
LPG buses

15. • Cleaner diesel internal combustion engines come
with a lower price tag than moving to cleaner
technologies
• Additional investments on the vehicle side are
marginal, where the required fuels or fuel
infrastructure are often more expensive
• The problem is that it requires also a clean fuel,
has higher fuel consumption and actual
emissions in the city cycle are higher than those
measured in laboratory
Modern diesel buses

16. • Electricity is an energy carrier that can be
converted domestically from a wide variety of
primary energy sources
• The local pollution from engines is zero thus
electric buses are the cleanest for urban centres
• The disadvantage is: price, limits in battery
capacity, distance, long time for battery charging
Electric buses

17. Modern Diesel:
- The problem is the availability of clean fuel
(should be imported)
- It is easy to disassemble those parts that allow to
reduce emissions (including AdBlue) because
this leads to a lower fuel consumption
Application in Kazakhstan - Diesel

18. CNG:
- Applicable in cities where natural gas pipeline is
available
- Need for expensive CNG stations, could be
financed by a natural gas provider when scale
exceed 100 buses
- Buses are produced locally in Kazakhstan
Application in Kazakhstan - CNG

19. LPG:
- Applicable in almost all cities due to high
penetration (a lot of filling stations)
- Buses could be produced locally in Kazakhstan
- Installation has to solve the problem with LPG
evaporation in low temperatures
Application in Kazakhstan - LPG

20. Electric buses:
- Expensive, not produced locally
- Need for expensive new infrastructure
- Could be applied on a pilot scale only
Application in Kazakhstan – Electric buses