With the projection to fully electrify Stockholm’s bus fleet by 2035, in line with the Climate Action Plan 2030 and its net zero emission targets, it is crucial that the expansion of the electric bus fleet is accompanied by efforts to ensure efficient operation through detailed energy consumption studies. A key challenge lies in the fact that the adoption of electric buses in Stockholm is still in its early stages, and there is currently no established framework for processing sensor data from bus operations. This study addresses this gap by developing a data-driven framework that uses real-world operational data from Stockholm’s electric buses to enable detailed analysis of energy consumption. The framework places particular emphasis on identifying and analysing the operational phases of buses — stationary, in-depot, deadhead, and in-service — as these phases form the building blocks for bus operation and planning. By segmenting energy consumption according to these phases, the framework facilitates targeted operational insights. In addition, the framework produces key performance metrics, including normalised energy consumption (kWh/km), which is widely used in energy consumption studies.

Applying the framework to real-world data provides insights into various energy metrics and enables comparisons between operational phases. Furthermore, the study demonstrates an application of the framework to analyse the effect of ambient temperature on energy consumption, revealing up to a 30% increase in normalised energy consumption to 1.3 kWh/km when average ambient temperatures decrease from 10–20 °C to 0–2.5 °C.