Chinese city to make all buses electric by 2020

YINCHUAN -- Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, is aiming to make its entire city bus fleet go "green" in the next three years, local authorities said Saturday.

Wang Tianshan, an official with Yinchuan's transport bureau, said that the city plans to put 2,000 electric buses on roads and set up 3,800 bus charging facilities by the end of 2020.

Last year, Yinchuan purchased 600 electric buses, 230 of which are currently running. To ensure their smooth operation, the city has built 80 bus charging facilities, and more are in the pipeline.

According to the city's bus operator, the electric buses can save operating costs and reduce exhaust emissions compared with natural gas-powered buses.

For an average daily trip of 180 kilometers, an electric bus can save operating costs by 25,000 yuan ($4,000) and eliminate around seven tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually compared with the gas-powered bus.

Currently, many Chinese cities are encouraging clean energy transport as part of the country's efforts to protect the environment.

Shenzhen in southern China has put more than 16,000 purely electric buses on its roads so far.

Taiyuan in North China's Shanxi province has made all of its cabs electric, and the city plans to add 1,000 electric buses in 2018.