Gradual takeoff of electric buses-

Several Southeast Asian cities are quickly moving ahead with the deployment of clean buses, in particular electric buses, as they struggle with congestion, traffic accidents and high pollution. In 2017-18, several Asian cities made significant headway in the deployment of clean buses. Many cities announced major plans and policy changes to facilitate the deployment of clean buses.

Developments in Southeast Asian cities

Putrajaya, Malaysia: In August 2017, Malaysia’s Putrajaya and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) launched the Putra-NEDO EV bus project to replace buses fuelled by fossil fuels with super-quick- charge electric buses.

The project involves an investment of JPY 3.6 billion over five years. NEDO is funding the project as part of its International Demonstration Project of Energy Consumption Efficiency Technology and System Demonstration.

Eight single-deck buses, branded  Nadiputra, were introduced on two 23 km circular routes in Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. The fleet size is planned to be expanded to 13 buses by 2018.

DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd has supplied the buses and Putrajaya Public Transport Travel and Tours operates them. The buses are equipped with Toshiba’s SCiB lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Chargers are installed at the bus terminal of Putrajaya Sentral station. The Internet of Things systems monitor battery temperature and status as well as the electronic characteristics of the buses and chargers during operation.

The project partners include Japanese companies Toshiba, PUES Corporation (provider of electric power trains), HASETEC Corporation (provider of super-quick chargers) and Oriental Consultants Global Company Limited (responsible for environmental and economic evaluation).

Singapore: In October 2017, the Singapore Land Transport Authority awarded an SGD 30 million contract to Volvo Buses to supply 50 Volvo 7900 diesel-hybrid buses. The buses will commence service by the second half of 2018.

Thailand: In January 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology in Thailand developed an electric bus model, branded EV-City Bus, for public transportation. The bus is 10.5 metres long. It can be charged in 20 minutes for travel up to 50 km at a speed of 80 km per hour. The bus has been designed using reverse engineering on various Chinese models.

Key policy developments

Central government initiatives and incentives are playing a key role in the introduction of electric buses in the region.

Thailand: In March 2017, the Board of Investment approved incentives for electric bus manufacturers including tax breaks for five to eight years.

In addition, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the Thailand Research Fund, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to evaluate the use of electric public transport in Thailand.

Plans

Several cities announced major plans for the deployment of electric buses and installation of charging infrastructure in 2017. Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam were some of the key countries where plans have been announced. The table provides a summary of the future plans of cities.

Malaysia

Putrajaya: In October 2017, the city government announced plans to deploy 150 electric buses in Putrajaya by 2025 as part of an initiative to cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2025.

Singapore

On October 2, 2017, the LTA launched a request for information (RfI) on electric buses to better understand the latest bus types and charging technologies. It plans to call a tender to procure 60 electric buses in 2018. The buses will be deployed by 2019.

Taiwan

In March 2018, RAC Electric Vehicles unveiled a 12 metre long, low-floor electric bus with national certification in Taiwan. The bus has a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. Teco Electric and Machinery has supplied the 200 kW-grade automotive permanent-magnet motors and motor drives; Phihong Technology has supplied power supply systems and Qisda has supplied integrated control and user interface for the bus. Currently, RAC has 100 electric buses operational in Taiwan.

Taichung: In November 2017, the Taichung City government announced plans to replace 50 diesel-fuelled buses with electric buses and construct 45 charging stations during the period 2018-20. Seventy electric buses have been deployed till date in Taichung, the city with the largest electric bus fleet in Taiwan.

Thailand

Bangkok: BMTA has announced plans to invite bids for 35 electric buses in 2018. BMTA will also undertake trial runs of an electric bus made in South Korea on five routes in Bangkok in June 2018. The trial will be used to assess the operating efficiency of the bus.

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City: The city government has announced plans to deploy 800 buses fuelled by CNG by end 2017. The People’s Committee of Vietnam has asked the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) to expand four existing CNG filling stations and develop an additional nine stations.

Philippines

Manila: In February 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in the Philippines started testing an electric-powered premium P2P (point-to-point) Volvo bus model as an alternative to Manila Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). The estimated cost of each bus is between PhP 8 million and PhP 10 million. It can accommodate 120 passengers (seated and standing).

New entrants and technology developments

Asia is home to some of the biggest manufacturers of electric buses and batteries and accounts for nearly two-thirds of total global production. In 2017, several innovations were introduced and new models were launched in the region. Some manufacturers also entered into tie-ups and signed MoUs to enter new markets. The specific developments recorded during 2017-18 are as follows:

Testing of driverless electric bus in Taiwan: EZ10, a driverless electric bus manufactured by French autonomous driving company EasyMile SAS, was tested at the National Taiwan University campus in Taipei in July 2017.

EZ10 is powered by a lithium LiFePO4 battery and equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving features such as six LiDAR sensors, two cameras, inertia navigation devices and global positioning system for sensor fusion. It can carry a maximum of 12 passengers, reach speeds of up to 40 km per hour and operate for 14 hours on a single charge.

Launch of all-electric buses in Taiwan: In September 2017, Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated (EDI) collaborated with bus manufacturer Master Transportation to develop a plan to replace all 10,000 diesel-fuelled buses in Taiwan with electric buses by 2027. The prototype bus is planned to be launched in 2018, and will be the first of its kind to meet the “made in Taiwan” policy (a government initiative created to establish a local supply chain, requiring that at least 70 per cent of the components be from manufacturers in Taiwan).

EDI will provide the PowerDrive EV all-electric drivetrain and powersuite vehicle control software for buses. Local supplier Yiding will supply the battery packs and a Shenyang-based supplier will provide the lithium iron phosphate cells.

Launch of first mass-produced electric bus by Hyundai: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) has launched an electric bus with a 256 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, around view monitoring and full-colour digital cluster. The bus has a driving range of 290 km on a single charge.

Driverless electric bus development in China: Test runs on two driverless electric buses developed by Hubei-based Dongfeng Xiangyang Touring Car Company Limited and the Beijing Institute of Technology began in Shenzhen in November 2017. Each bus is 6.7 metres long, accommodates 25 passengers and has a maximum speed of 40 km per hour. The bus has a range of 150 km on a single charge and can switch between manual and automatic operation.

Launch of hybrid, electric buses in India by Tata Motors: Tata Motors launched hybrid buses (the 12 metres long Starbus Hybrid) and electric buses (9 metres and 12 metres long Starbus Electric) at its Pune facility. Each bus costs between INR 16 million and INR 20 million.

Launch of electric bus in Thailand: In April 2017, Kwaithong Motor introduced its electric bus powered by lithium-titanate battery technology to penetrate the Thai market. The battery allows quick charging so the buses can be charged in 10-15 minutes. The bus is 12 metres long, 2.53 metres wide and 3.34 metres high.It can  accommodate 80 passengers. Germany-based MAN Group has supported the company.

Entry of South Korea’s TGM in the Thai market: In June 2017, South Korea-based TGM Company signed an MoU with Thai bus assembly companies Act One and Bus and Truck, gas installer PLT Green and vehicle components manufacturer Cobra International to enter the Thai electric bus market. Under the MoU, TGM will provide an electric bus at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi for research and development.

Conclusion

Several Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand present big market opportunities for electric buses. Regional bus suppliers are investing in product development to benefit from the market opportunities created by policies that favour the deployment of clean buses. Further, there are a lot of opportunities for bus manufacturers too.