The first Belarusian electric bus Vitovt Electro E420 has been put to use in Tashkent, representatives of the Belarusian embassy in Uzbekistan told BelTA.
Made by Minsk-based Belkommunmash, the electric bus of a bright yellow color was delivered to the capital of Uzbekistan in September. The bus will be tested for three months by delivering passengers along its first line.
According to the source, the electric bus will be used in one of the most heavily populated parts of the Uzbek capital city. Ambassador of Belarus Leonid Marinich has also tested the Belarusian electric bus.
The bus is fitted with a system of super capacitors, which get fully charged within 5-10 minutes while the bus is at an end stop. The bus can travel along the entire distance of the line for up to 15 times per day. On the first day it managed to travel for over 40km on one charge.
The passenger compartment is equipped with a powerful air conditioning system, which is important in Tashkent. Cost effectiveness is one of the key advantages of the electric bus. Even in comparison with new buses made in Uzbekistan by joint ventures involving German and Korean manufacturers the daily cost of charging the bus is virtually 10 times less than the cost of diesel fuel a conventional bus burns on the same line.