Chinese new energy bus companies aim for European market

China's new energy bus companies shined at the 2017 Busworld Kortrijk in Belgium, as more innovations and breakthroughs have been made to their high-end buses, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Chinese bus companies such as Zhejiang CRRC Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd, King Long, Higer, BYD, and Yutong debuted their latest vehicles at the expo.

BYD's first 12-meter MTH fuel cell bus customized for the European market [Photo: Sino Weibo]

Zhejiang CRRC Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd jointly launched a 12-meter MTH fuel cell city bus with a Denmark fuel cell manufacturer at the opening. It was a major breakthrough in the new energy bus field as it can function well at a temperature of minus 25 degrees Celsius. After the expo, it will begin trial operation in Alborg, northern Denmark.

The company also showcased a series of core proprietary technology to be used in unmanned vehicles including smart start and stop, automated acceleration and intelligent obstacle avoidance features.

BYD launches its first 8.7-meter pure electric minibus at the 2017 Busworld Kortrijk. [Photo: Sino Weibo]

As a precursor to attending Busworld Kortrijk, King Long bus launched four brand new buses customized for the European market. King Long made full use of the expo to garner attention for its advanced bus manufacturing technology and concepts to facilitate the development of Chinese bus companies in Europe, according to a spokesperson for the company's European operations.

At the event, Chinese bus companies are accelerating their progress in going global. BYD received 21 orders from Connexxion of Netherlands for its cutting-edge pure electric buses and cell technology at the media open day on October 19. Higer also reached a procurement deal with DAN, an Israeli bus company, for 100 super-capacitor buses.