Taiwan's first electric-powered buses are to be unveiled tomorrow in a joint program opearated by the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the Taipei City Bus Adminis-tration (TCBA,
The action, officials said, is the prelude to a government-backed scheme meant to popularize clean vehicles.
As part of a continuing effort to limit emission levels among polluting motor vehicles, the government is making efforts toward replacing 50 percent of existing diesel buses by the year 2010, by introducing vehicles powered by alternative energy sources such as electricity and natural gas.
PHOTO: CHEN, CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES.
Convinced by the EPA of the viability of electric buses to reduce gasoline and diesel use, the bus administration agreed to experiment with two electric buses, each with a capacity of 40 people.
According to officials from the bus administration, two new electric buses imported from the US will begin regular service in February on municipal route 20, starting at the Sungteh Station (
Officials said that running electric buses on route 20 will be an effective promotion -- referring to the fact that the route passes by several sightseeing spots, including the World Trade Center, Sun Yat-sun Memorial Hall, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and the Presidential Office.
To encourage riders to take the cleaner and quieter vehicles, the EPA has also launched incentives on the Internet, rewarding visitors hitting its official Web site with free tickets to ride the new buses.
EPA officials said that the two electric-powered buses, produced by US-based electric vehicle manufacturer APS Systems, will demonstrate the practicability of low-cost, high-efficiency alternatives to existing diesel-burning buses.
According to officials from Turn-luckily Technology Co Ltd (
"The experience of adopting electric buses in Santa Barbara shows that fuel costs have seen savings of 37 percent, while maintenance fees are down 40 percent and emissions of pollutants have been reduced by 95 percent," said Todd Chen (
"However, the outcome of using electric buses in Taiwan will be somewhat different from the results in Santa Barbara because of road conditions, the cost of electricity, and maintenance fees," he said.
Chen said the price for each electric bus was triple that of diesel vehicles, and that the additional costs for training drivers would also be a factor.
To ensure quality of service, Chen said, experts from APS Systems have come to Taiwan to train drivers on operating the new vehicles.
"Although the cost of implementing electric buses is higher than that of conventional vehicles, we can provide people with a better living environment," Chen said.
Chen said that the performance of the electric buses should not be a problem in winter, saying a fully-recharged bus could travel about 50km.
Chen did point out, however, that the vehicles can use fossil fuels when necessary.
"In summer, the electric buses can switch to diesel in order to operate on-board air conditioners," Chen said.
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