Construction on a power station for electric buses began on April 10 in Xuejiadao development zone, Qingdao. The project, with a planned total investment of 290 million yuan ($44.3 million), will become the first commercial power station for electricity-driven buses in China.

Once completed, the station will provide electricity-recharging services for 180 twelve-meter long electric buses, some of which operate in tunnels under the Jiaodong Bay, Shandong province. The station is expected to be completed in June.

Chen Gang, deputy chief engineer of the project said, “Electric buses can get recharged in the station’s recharging system, and the battery replacement work will be operated by a robot. The bus battery status is monitored by the real-time monitoring center, which takes charge of the battery replacement.”

The average replacement interval for each bus is about eight minutes. The power station can recharge six buses at the same time, and the worn out batteries will be retrieved for further processing.

A traditional fuel bus will annually release about 200kg of hydrocarbon, 220kg of carbon monoxide, 320kg of carbon dioxide, and 20kg of other particles. The introduction of zero-emission transportation can improve the air quality in the under-bay tunnel.

As for the advantages electric buses posses over traditional fuel buses, Chen Gang said, “The electric bus’s engine is driven by electricity. It’s cheaper and more reliable, and can also lower the operating costs of public transportation.”

By Chen Zhilin, Li Jing and Nathan

Source: www.qingdaonews.com