E-Buses are more reliable, mainly due to the fact that electric motors are much simpler than diesel engines. They have about one-tenth the number of moving parts in their drive-train, so less parts to break down. There are no turbo’s, radiators, exhaust systems…you don’t have to fix something you don’t have! And as with most EVs, brakes last 2 to 4 times longer, as most of the braking is done with regeneration by the motor ad battery.
Because they are more reliable, they will spend more time on the road, less time in the shop for repairs . Fleet availability is improved when you can rely on approximately 90% of the buses to be on the road on any given day (vs 80% today).
Both internal combustion engines and electric motors have been around for a hundred or more years, they are not new technology. What’s new is our ability now to take the power source with us (see Batteries and Charging). This technology has about a ten year track record in the e-bus market and performs well under all conditions.