By ITDP Brazil
With the objective of presenting the reasons that resulted in China leading the issue of the electrification of bus fleets, ITDP Brasil held the webinar Operation of electric fleets: what can Chinese cities teach us? The event was in partnership with the Zero Emission Bus Rapid-Deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA), led by ICCT and C40 , and enabled exchanges between Latin American cities that are advancing in the transition towards electromobility.
The operation and implementation of electric fleets in China stands out for several reasons. In addition to having the largest electric bus fleet on the planet, Shenzhen is the only city in the world where all the vehicles are electric. The progress of Shenzhen, which up to 2017 already had approximately 16,400 electric buses in circulation, took eight years, and has already resulted in several benefits .
To report on the Chinese experience, the event featured a presentation by Shanshan Li, Vice-Director of ITDP China , which highlighted important lessons and recommendations about the large-scale implementation and operation of the electric buses in the country. In addition to Shenzhen’s example, the expert spoke of the practical aspects, operational data, types of recharging infrastructure and the key points for the day-to-day operation.
The importance of the government incentive, including national and local subsidies, to leverage the transition of the fleets was highlighted by Shanshan. In China, the implementation of the “10 cities, one thousand buses” initiative was the first step to initiate the electrification of the vehicles.
“The government’s positioning guaranteed that vehicles powered by new sources of energy, such as electric buses, performed an essential role in the seven industries considered strategic by China,” explains the Vice-Director in citing the policy that was soon expanded to the whole country.
The meeting also indicated the global panorama with respect to electrification, in addition to the Brazilian context and Latin America. For Beatriz Rodrigues, the Public Transport Coordinator at ITDP Brasil, the webinar facilitated the exchange of experiences between cities, which signifies an important step towards the transformation of public transport.
“From deeper discussions and the exchange of learning processes, it is possible to mitigate errors and develop innovative solutions that collaborate towards the development of cleaner, more sustainable and inclusive Brazilian cities and metropolitan regions,” says Beatriz.
Watch the full presentation made by Shanshan Li, in English.
Download the slides here .
This text was originally published on the ITDP Brasil website on July 3, 2020.
