Shanghai will complete the switch to plug-in buses and taxis by 2027, city says

The city of Shanghai will complete its switch from traditional buses and taxis to cleaner plug-in models by 2027, according to a new planning document released by the municipal government.

To do so, the metropolis will introduce another 6,200 so-called new energy vehicle (NEV) buses and 11,000 NEV taxis by then, it said in a statement. That’ll include fully electric models, plug-in hybrids, and potentially also hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“The city will also enhance maintenance of bus batteries, strengthen battery performance requirements, and replace the power batteries of buses in a timely manner,” it said.

The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, meanwhile, completed the shift years ago.

Home to electric vehicle giant BYD, Shenzhen’s bus fleet was fully electric by 2017 and its taxis followed suit a year later.

This has significantly reduced local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency noted in a recent report.

It’s also reduced maintenance and repair costs for bus operators, who have adapted relatively easily.

The city’s buses drive 190 kilometres a day, on average, which means that in most cases, they can run all day and be charged at night, per the IEA.

Some of the buses running on longer routes need to be charged for about 30 minutes during the day, the agency says, adding that all routes have charging stations at terminals.

One challenge that Shenzhen encountered, according to the IEA, was the difficulty of acquiring land for charging stations in a densely populated city.

“The major lesson learnt from this case is the importance of creating a collaborative environment for transitioning to a new system,” the agency wrote. “The partnership among bus operators, bus manufacturers, financial organisations, and charging companies significantly alleviated the technology uncertainty and spread the cost burden.”