New-energy buses to hit the road in Shanghai

Shanghai is to introduce 200 new-energy buses in a bid to cut emissions and reduce noise, Xinhua News Agency reported on Feb 20. A new-energy bus, using electricity rather than petrol, could run for nearly 10 hours, or 150 kilometers, even if it is fully loaded with the air-conditioner working, said Wang Binfeng, deputy general manager of the Shangnan branch under Pudong Public Transport.

Meanwhile, remote monitoring will prompt alerts if the battery has problems.

Shanghai, which suffers from dense haze, will follow Beijing in implementing a tighter National-5 vehicle emission standard this year, which is equivalent to Euro-5, Zhang Quan, director of the Shanghai Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, said earlier.

In addition, Shanghai is considering a draft to compulsorily suspend official vehicles when the Air Quality Index exceeds 300, according to Zhang.