XI AN, CHINA – CENTER 23: Electric buses stop at BYD production center on January 23, 2018 in Xi … [+]
China Visual Group through Getty Images
Shenzhen is a city that has reached a future that the US can only dream of.
The city, which has about 12 million people, has undergone a major transformation to electric transportation, with 16,000 electric buses and 22,000 electric taxis, as fully charged explains in the video at the bottom ( through Electrek and InsideEVs).
Shenzhen is the home base of BYD, one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers in the world.
What is the upside to these electric buses?
“First of all, they have zero emissions and no pollution,” as one of the bus drivers explains in the video at the bottom.
“Second, there is no sound. Thirdly, they are easy to operate, ”says the driver, adding that driving a diesel bus before was a burden on her arms.
Shenzhen Bus Company (one of three bus companies) has about 6,000 buses covering about one million kilometers a day. “Think of all the diesel pollution [those buses] he would have put it out before, ”says Fully Charged.
There are about 1,800 chargers running around the city. Buses typically have a 250 kWh (kilowatt hour) battery pack. The cost of bus in the community is $ 45 (300 CNY).
Electric Taxis
Shenzhen Bus Company also operates a fleet of approximately 5,000 electric taxis (13:50 mark).
“Our citizens here enjoy a better environment … air quality … that clean energy will come,” said a representative of Shenzhen Bus Company.
One of the challenges of electric buses and taxis is time consuming. For example, it takes about two hours to pick up a taxi.
In an effort to solve the problem with downtime, the company provides a cafe, a dining area, a gym, and a place to get a health check, according to a spokesperson in the video.
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