*Article* **Energy Consumption Estimation for Electric Buses Based on a Physical and Data-Driven Fusion Model**

**Xiaoyu Li 1,2, Tengyuan Wang 1, Jiaxu Li 1, Yong Tian <sup>1</sup> and Jindong Tian 1,3,\***


**Abstract:** The energy consumption of electric vehicles is closely related to the problems of charging station planning and vehicle route optimization. However, due to various factors, such as vehicle performance, driving habits and environmental conditions, it is difficult to estimate vehicle energy consumption accurately. In this work, a physical and data-driven fusion model was designed for electric bus energy consumption estimation. The basic energy consumption of the electric bus was modeled by a simplified physical model. The effects of rolling drag, brake consumption and airconditioning consumption are considered in the model. Taking into account the fluctuation in energy consumption caused by multiple factors, a CatBoost decision tree model was constructed. Finally, a fusion model was built. Based on the analysis of electric bus data on the big data platform, the performance of the energy consumption model was verified. The results show that the model has high accuracy with an average relative error of 6.1%. The fusion model provides a powerful tool for the optimization of the energy consumption of electric buses, vehicle scheduling and the rational layout of charging facilities.

**Keywords:** electric bus; energy consumption; physical model; CatBoost; fusion model
