“With the Chinese government working to provide subsidies for plug-in vehicle purchases and a population ready for electric vehicles, Shanghai is the next city that Chinese officials have targeted for plug-in infrastructure development. Via Autoblog Green, we learn from China Daily about plans for “400 more roadside charging points and seven to 10 large charging stations by the end of this year.”
Photo: Adam E. Moreira
Orion serial hybrid electric buses have been the subject of numerous After Gutenberg posts. Daimler acquired Orion in July 2000. Daimler has done extensive testing of hybrid buses and now is striving for a share of the Chinese market.
Plug-in buses are not a new idea. Autoblog Green reported before on Enova Systems and IC Bus, where developers saw a 70 percent drop in diesel use.
Getting plug-in hybrid buses on the streets goes beyond reducing fuel costs. Transportation planners in China see a benefit to plug-in bus networks because they are paving the way for passenger plug-in vehicles.
In Beijing 50 such buses are in use now and 250 more should go into service this year. “Since the buses are on fixed routes,” notes Sebastian Blanco, “it’s easier to get the battery-swap and plug-in infrastructure in place for them than it might otherwise be for a fleet of plug-in passenger cars. Once the system is there, expanding it to smaller vehicles is much more doable.”
Other Autoblog Green posts on topic of plug-in hybrid buses
- Kansas Community Testing Plug-in Hybrid Bus,
- Burbank Getting World’s First Plug-in Hybrid Fuel Cell Bus and
- Tampa Schools Debut New Plug-in Hybrid Buses
