Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The electric bus charging infrastructure market in the Asia Pacific is led by China, followed by Europe and North America, respectively. Currently, 99% of electric buses in service are in China, due to the major air pollution problems in Chinese cities and the decision of local authorities to invest in transport that does not emit. Other developing countries like India are fueling the electric bus charging infrastructure market by adopting more electric buses in the country.

China is a key player in the global electric bus market and is home to 98% of the world's electric buses. China is anticipated to sustain its dominance during the forecast period. In March 2021, more than 421,000 electric buses were in use China, which amounts to about 99.0% of the global fleet. The keen focus on electrification of public transit with prevalent subsidies and national regulations is a major factor contributing toward the high market share of China in the global electric bus market.

China’s Ministry of Transport is offering subsidies and other benefits for the development of low emission bus fleets, thereby, further positively influencing the market. For instance, 61,000 more new energy buses were sold by Chinese bus makers during 2020, despite of the pandemic.

China's electric bus expansion is expected to continue, with 420,000 additional electric buses ordered by 2025. Growth in the market and government support should also allow for a large increase in the number of electric bus fleets, which is approximately 40%.

Shenzhen and Guangzhou are leading cities in fully electric bus fleets, while more Chinese cities are expected to follow the same in coming years. During the forecast period, China may continue to witness growth in the adoption of electric buses, as more than 30 Chinese cities have made plans to achieve 100% electrified public transit by the start of 2021, including Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Foshan, and Zhongshan in the Pearl River Delta, along with Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shaanxi, and Shandong.

Although China is more focused on battery electric buses, there are significant number of hybrid buses in the country owing to the long-range possibilities offered by them. During the forecast period, series hybrid category is expected to account major share in hybrid bus category. Due to the ease in designing and assembling this type of powertrain, which reduces the overall cost of electric bus, more number od buses are expected to equip this type of powertrain.

Other important countries include India . However, in India, the acceptance of electric and hybrid buses is slow, primarily due to the cost factor. The average cost of hybrid or electric buses is 3-4 times higher than diesel buses. Furthermore, with the decrease in the cost of diesel, there is not much incentive for the operators to shift to hybrid or electric buses. Some cities, like Delhi and Mumbai, are using clean fuel, like CNG, for bus operations.

Thus, to make operators adopt electric buses, the Government of India unveiled the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 to accelerate the growth of the electric and hybrid components of the automotive sector. It focuses primarily on fast-tracking the manufacturing and introduction of EVs in India. For instance,

• In September 2022, In India, on behalf of five state governments, CESL-Convergence Energy Services Ltd. (a subsidiary of EESL- Energy Efficiency Services Ltd.) granted a contract for 5,450 electric buses. CESL plans to conduct a $10 billion (Rs.80,000 crore) tender for 50,000 electric buses, which has been authorized by NITI Ayog to reduce pollution in India and boost E-Bus manufacturers.