The local Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's proposal to procure 150 electric buses at a cost of Rs 2.7 crore per vehicle has raised eyebrows in India. Experts say this amount is exorbitant as the price of a battery-driven bus at current market rate is not more than Rs 1.5 crore.
The Enviro500 concept bus, commissioned by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), is the result of close collaboration between the transport agency and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the world’s largest double deck bus manufacturer. Exhibited at a series of Bus Carnivals at venues across Singapore in March and April 2016, visitors were encouraged to provide their feedback on the design of this brand new vehicle designed specifically for Singapore. Positive feedback on the design and specification has also been received from international visitors to this week’s SITCE event.
Daimler Buses is cutting buses’ fuel consumption thanks to electrohydraulic power steering (EHPS). The fully integrated system replaces the conventional power steering pumps used nowadays in all buses with a gross weight of over 7.5 t. Thanks to the demand-based actuation of the electric power steering pump, which had previously been powered by the combustion engine, steering assist can in future be used regardless of the engine speed.
Toyota Motor Corporation, in cooperation with its bus and truck subsidiary Hino Motors, has developed a new hydrogen fuel cell bus. The Toyota FC Bus is based on the Hino hybrid non-step route bus, but equipped with fuel cell systems derived from Toyota’s Mirai FCEV. A prototype of this bus has been running in Tokyo since January.
In recent days Solaris has signed contracts for the delivery of electric buses with public transport operators from Jaworzno and Cracow, Poland. Jaworzno City Transport (PKM) ordered 22 battery-powered Urbino, while the municipal company from Cracow decided to purchase 20 electric Solaris buses. Nearly half of the contracted vehicles are the new Urbino 12 electric, named Bus of the Year 2017.