Shenzhen’s silent revolution: world’s first fully electric bus fleet quietens Chinese megacity. All 16,000 buses in the fast-growing Chinese megacity are now electric, and soon all 13,000 taxis will be too. More than 30 Chinese cities have made plans to achieve 100% electrified public transit by 2020, including Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan in the Pearl River Delta; and Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shaanxi and Shandong. But with central government planning to withdraw subsidies by 2020, introducing electric buses elsewhere could be too expensive. There is also geography to consider. Shenzhen is fairly flat, but the hills of nearby Hong Kong have proven too much in trials of electric buses. Other cities in northern China have struggled with battery power in the extreme cold of winter.
Guardian 12th Dec 2018 read more »