The global community has begun to pay more attention to the care of the environment, more so in recent years. In particular, many governments have been thinking about the gradual abandonment of diesel and gasoline passenger transport which causes irreparable damage to the atmosphere and adversely affects people’s health, especially in large dynamically developing cities.
An alternative to this is electric transport which is why interest in ‘Belkommunmash’ production is actively growing. However, transport in a modern fast-growing dynamic city should be mobile. The need to make electric transport capable of competing with diesel and usable for transportation on all sections of the road prompted the design department OJSC Holding Management Company ‘Belkommunmash’ in Belarus to develop a new electric bus.
Belkommunmash’s electric bus is an innovative product with all the advantages of a trolleybus and a regular bus while excluding their disadvantages. The vehicle comes equipped with energy storage in the form of a supercapacitor which charges from a special station at the final stop and runs the whole route autonomously without additional charging. This system allows the electric bus to serve the city routes along with the classic bus.
Belkommunmash has opted for the fast-charging system based on the supercapacitor for the electric bus. For a full charge, the electric bus ‘Vitovt’ needs only six to seven minutes. This short time fits into the driver’s break between trips, which allows the bus to run both shifts for the entire working day and doesn’t require a long night charge. The system of supercapacitors can be used at ambient temperatures from -40° to +40°, without losing its capacity in extremely cold weather conditions. The ‘Vitovt’ is also equipped with a regenerative function, thanks to which the machine partially restores the energy reserve itself during braking.
The enterprise has already implemented the electric bus project in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It should be noticed that the Belarusian capital is the first city in the CIS region to have launched a fully-electric bus. Since May 2017, 20 units of the ‘Vitovt Max Electro’ E433 electric bus have been running along routes in the city.
In July, OJSC Holding Management Company ‘Belkommunmash’ celebrated its 45th anniversary, with the presentation of the new electric bus design timed for the holiday. By the spring of 2019, another 60 electric buses will join the fleet in the Belarusian capital, but in an all-new design.
In terms of comfort, the company claims that its electric bus is better than a regular bus or a trolleybus. One of the main advantages the vehicle offers, besides environmental friendliness, is its silent functioning which is indispensable for big cities because of their very high noise levels. The Belkommunmash electric bus is equipped with a kneeling mechanism, a mechanical ramp, a place for a wheelchair with a locking system and a communication system with the driver. Another interesting feature of the Belarusian electric bus is the installation of sockets and USB-connectors.
Belkommunmash carries out a full cycle of production of modern urban electric transport: electric buses, trolleybuses and tramways, from the idea and preparation of design documentation to the implementation and service.
Belkommunmash vehicles successfully ply both in Belarus and abroad: in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Argentina, with the company working on a joint venture for the assembly of electric buses in India and the launch of a pilot electric bus route in the city of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
The policy of OJSC Holding Management Company ‘Belkommunmash’ is focused on satisfying all customer requests, and hence each project is carried out in accordance with the individual needs of the customer. All its vehicles are produced with the intention of delivering the best experience for passengers as reflected in the modern ergonomic design and a technology that does not harm the environment and people’s health.
With such an approach, the Belarusian company continues to work towards its mission of contributing to improving the modern city image by implementing effective innovative transport solutions with concern for people and the environment.