China recently got its first solar-powered hybrid public transport buses. The buses are powered by solar panels, which are expected to increase the life of the lithium batteries used in the bus by 35 years. The buses were launched in the city of Qiqihar in north-east China’s Heilongjiang province.
The buses have been manufactured by Heilongjiang Qiqiar Longhua New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. at a new industrial park which was founded in 2010 as part of the province’s largest investment in a new energy project. The industrial park was built with an investment of $329 million.
The buses can accommodate 100 passengers and consume 0.6 to 0.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilometer.
China has announced ambitious plans in the clean transport sector. China has already invested $15 billion on electric vehicle infrastructure, and the government has expanded a plan to introduce electric vehicles in 25 cities.
Recently, the government directed the car manufacturers to increase annual production capacity of clean cars to 2 million by 2020. The government aims to achieve sales and production of half a million clean energy cars by 2015 and 5 million by 2020.
Image: Abubiju/Wikimedia Commons
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Mridul Chadha currently works as Head-News & Data at Climate Connect Limited, a market research and analytics firm in the renewable energy and carbon markets domain. He earned his Master’s in Technology degree from The Energy & Resources Institute in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Mridul has a keen interest in renewable energy sector in India and emerging carbon markets like China and Australia.
