Siemens in hybrid drive bus partnership in Vietnam

189 Siemens Vietnam and Vietnam Motors Industry Corporation (5928 Vinamotor) headquartered in Hanoi have entered into a cooperation agreement to apply Siemens Elfa hybrid drive technology for city buses in Vietnam. Siemens will supply all necessary components and provide technical support, while Vinamotor will prepare the platform and manufacture remaining parts of the bus for operational readiness.

With conventional city buses, braking energy is simply converted into heat and lost. With Elfa hybrid technology, a prototype of which will be built this year, the braking energy is converted into electrical energy by the generative operation of the traction motor and is fed into an energy storage device – high-performance capacitors or batteries. The stored energy is reused when starting and accelerating. Depending on the storage capacity of the system, the bus can also be driven purely electrically, especially in inner city areas and at bus stops. As such, it is claimed that operating companies can profit from significant fuel cost savings of up to 50 per cent and reduce impact on the environment through lower exhaust emission. In addition, passengers can benefit from noticeably quieter operation due to a smoother start and acceleration of these buses.