Bus Depot - Diesel vs Electric

Challenge

The task was to simulate the internal operation of a planned Bus Depot under two different scenarios, each with different nuances in how they worked (number of buses, traffic distributions, fuel quantity). The first scenario was to develop the current situation with diesel buses arriving to the depot, filling their tanks, washing, and parking. The second scenario was to evaluate how electric buses affect the system.

The major questions to answer were:

• How long does the depot diesel tank last?
• Are the facilities able to handle 490 buses without too much waiting time?
• What is the impact on the diesel tank when electric buses are added?
• What is the financial impact of adding electric buses?

Solution

A model was built in AnyLogic using discrete-events. A 3D model was developed and to simplify the problem while allowing clear visualization of fuel, the information was shown as yellow rectangles over the bus and a big yellow rectangle on the side of the pumps to clearly visualize the evolution of the diesel tank in time.

Outcome

The project was helpful to optimize the number of buses (electric and diesel) for best financial outcomes and to avoid massive queues. It was also discovered that the diesel tank was enough to cover all arriving buses. The model was used to support the purchasing of 50 new electric buses for Abu Dhabi town in the United Arab Emirates.

Project Features

• Industry: Traffic
• Model: Discrete Events
• Duration: 2 weeks