Exclusive Suwon Launches Full-Scale Electric Bus Era

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon City has opened the curtain on a full-scale electric bus era with large-scale operation of electric buses.

The city plans to operate 1,000 electric buses to reduce fine dust. Considering that as of the end of last month, 1,086 city buses were registered in the city, this represents the determination to replace all city buses with electric buses over the next three years.

Initially, to supply 100 electric buses as a pilot project, the city signed an agreement with Suwon Yeokgaek Transportation in January. The city was to provide purchase subsidies and administrative support, while Suwon Yeokgaek promised to prioritize the introduction of electric buses and construct charging stations.

It was not easy. While state funding of 100 million won per electric bus, along with 30 million won each in provincial and municipal funds, are provided, the city had initially secured a budget for only 36 units. The Ministry of Environment's electric bus budget also faced the risk of being cut in a supplementary budget.

Led by the vice mayor, the city visited the Ministry of Environment more than four times, actively explaining the Suwon-style electric bus standard model, which included installing charging stations at public bus depots and adding solar power generation through canopies, thereby securing an additional budget for 58 units.

As of December, 36 electric buses have been assigned to routes 5 and 98 and are running through Suwon. Once newly produced vehicles are sequentially introduced after completing painting and other work, a total of 94 electric buses will be operating throughout the city from early next year.

Choi Jin-tae, Vice President of Suwon Yeokgaek, said, "Implementation of electric bus introduction and expansion is difficult without the will and effort of local government leaders," adding, "Thanks to the city's active support, we will be able to replace vehicles with eco-friendly ones and operate them efficiently."

Electric buses produce zero emissions. They have no exhaust pipes that emit various pollutants. While diesel buses, which are blamed as major culprits of fine dust, produce 0.04g of fine dust per kilometer traveled, electric buses produce no fine dust at all.

Moreover, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, which even CNG (natural gas) buses classified as eco-friendly cannot help but emit, are not emitted at all. When replacing one diesel vehicle with an electric bus, approximately 39.195 tons of greenhouse gases are reduced annually.

This means that apart from greenhouse gases generated during electricity production as fuel, there are no greenhouse gases produced by the bus itself during operation. The amount of pollution sources generating fine dust is reduced accordingly.

Because internal combustion engines are not used, noise and vibration generated by engine operation are significantly reduced. While waiting at traffic signals, engine noise and vibration are almost nonexistent, making conversations inside the vehicle hardly noticeable.

Furthermore, the newly introduced electric buses are all designed as low-floor buses, making them much easier to use for people with disabilities and other transportation-vulnerable groups.

Electric buses carrying 2-ton batteries on top must have a more robust frame structure, and therefore safety is inevitably higher.

The exterior of the electric buses is sky blue, resembling clear skies, with light green as a point symbolizing nature, decorated with leaf-shaped outlets and battery-shaped planters that embody nature and electricity. The interior also features fresh-toned seating and layout to maximize passenger convenience.

To properly operate nearly 100 electric buses, introduction of a large-scale charging system is essential. Suwon Yeokgaek introduced electric buses of the e-Whybird model from domestic manufacturer Edison Motors Inc. and built charging infrastructure equipped with 96 chargers. At full charge, the buses can travel 250 kilometers.

While battery efficiency can be affected by driver skill levels and other factors, considering that city bus routes average around 50 kilometers, the system is sufficient for urban routes.

The charging station installed at Suwon North Public Bus Depot can simultaneously charge 36 buses, and operates on a power bank system where buses are plugged in for charging, with one bus charged before moving to the next. It is a system capable of fully charging all 96 buses parked overnight.

Additionally, when buses return after completing a route and drivers rest, supplementary charging adds approximately 30kWh more charge, so battery depletion is no cause for concern. In particular, solar panels are installed on the canopy above the chargers to enable concurrent power generation business.

The charging station completed at the North Public Bus Depot is scheduled for its opening ceremony on the 9th.

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young said, "The introduction of large-scale electric buses has the effect of creating 3,500 square meters of urban forests in terms of fine dust reduction, and in the greenhouse gas reduction sector, it is equivalent to creating approximately 10,000 square meters of urban forests," adding, "Going forward, we will introduce 1,000 electric buses to reduce fine dust in the city and solidify our position as an eco-friendly city."