New Mongolia-made electric buses to cut costs and pollution
Mongol Mashin Industrial and Mongol Mashin Baiguulamj LLCs have begun manufacturing large Mon-30 electric buses for public services.
For starters, the two companies handed over two medium-size electric buses with 22 seats to Erdenet Mining Corporation last Friday. Next, they will present eight large school buses to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports on October 15.
A few large Mon-30 buses, with capacity to carry around 80 passengers at a time, have already been manufactured. These buses are said to be able to run 200 km after being fully charged in less than three hours at 380 voltage. According to the engineers, vacuum windows that don’t fog up during winter were installed in the buses to suit Mongolia's extreme climate.
“The domestically produced buses run completely on electricity, which has the advantage of cutting the city’s toxic car emission. Public buses currently used for public transportation service use up fuel worth 43 million MNT a year, but Mon-30 buses will consume electricity worth six million MNT a year,” said a spokesperson for Mongol Mashin Industrial.
Director of Mongol Mashin Baiguulamj M.Gerelchuluun reported that at full capacity, they can annually manufacture 150 to 200 buses a year and can create 400 new jobs. She noted that they produce for up to 30 percent cheaper prices than foreign companies.
The two companies requested government support, specifically tax exemptions, so that they can lower costs. Bus parts such as air-filters, shock absorbers, seats, and rubber seals were supplied by domestic manufacturers, while the engines are from the USA.
Reportedly, buses with diesel engines can be used for 12 years, whereas electric buses are usable for 20 years at minimum.