Shenzhen is one of the biggest cities in China. It’s a business hub, one that has its sights set firmly on becoming a global business leader in the future. It’s also leading in some other respects. Shenzhen now has the world’s largest fully electric bus fleet. All 16,000 buses in this megacity are fully electric.
There used to be a time when diesel buses used to rule the road. You could hear them coming down the road owing to that distinctive growl of a big, thirsty diesel engine. You’d certainly smell them too since the fumes would also announce their arrival.
Those buses have since been replaced with the world’s first fully electric fleet. More than 16,000 buses in total are fully electric. They are significantly quieter and generate no emissions.
“We find that the buses are so quiet that people might not hear them coming,” Shenzhen Bus Group deputy general manager Joseph Ma said. He adds that city’s largest bus company has received requests to add some artificial noise so that people can actually hear them. Shenzhen Bus Group is considering the proposal.
According to the company’s estimates, the fully electric bus fleet has enabled them to conserve 160,000 tonnes of coal per year and cut down the annual CO2 emissions by 440,000 tonnes. Not to mention that the fuel bill has been cut significantly as well.
The city also wants all taxis to be fully electric as well. All of the 22,000 taxis in Shenzhen are required to switch to electric before the end of this month. The Shenzhen Bus Company has already switched all of its 4,600 taxis to electric well ahead of the deadline.
Filed in . Read more about China. Source: theguardian