GM to produce hybrid bus in China
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-12 15:26

GM and Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp. will begin by developing one bus and test-run it in Shanghai to see whether the vehicle would be commercially viable in China, GM's vice-president of environment and energy, Elizabeth Lowery, said yesterday.

The number of vehicles on China's roads is soaring, bringing a growing reliance on imported oil and worsening already severe air pollution.

In response, foreign auto makers are beginning to test some of their hybrid vehicles in China.

DaimlerChrysler AG has said it plans to test three hydrogen-fuel-cell buses in Beijing next year.

China's Ministry of Science and Technology has listed the development of the hybrid bus as a national research task, as car emissions are choking China's cities.

The hybrid bus has been in commercial use in the US and it has been proven that this type of bus, which runs mainly on diesel and electricity, can reduce emissions up to ninety percent.

The bus, which cost less to maintain, will also reduce noise and be more comfortable inside.

Hybrids draw power from two energy sources, typically a gas or diesel engine combined with an electric motor.

Last month, Toyota Motor Corp. said it will assemble and sell its Prius model, which is a gasoline-electric hybrid, in China.

Although the bus will be built in China with Shanghai Automotive, the key technology will not be shared with the China partner, and those parts will be imported from the United States, Lowery said.

Shanghai Automotive itself also has a program to develop buses with natural gas.

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