ZHODINO, 28 March (BelTA) – New passenger electrobuses will be put to use in the Belarusian city of Zhodino. A solemn ceremony to hand over 14 modern MAZ 303E electrobuses to the local mass transit company took place in the city on 28 March, BelTA has learned.
Diesel buses used inside the city are supposed to be replaced with electrobuses as part of a pilot project. “In 2023 the government authorized a pilot project for shipping electric vehicles to Belarusian cities and towns. Zhodino and Shklov are the first cities on the list. We handed over electrobuses to Shklov yesterday. Today we’ve come to you with this mission. The new vehicles will replace first-generation MAZ-103 buses,” Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Piotr Parkhomchik said.
These electrobuses have been made by Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ trademark). “They implement all the necessary design solutions. From the outside the electrobus resembles a Belarusian bison. This is what MAZ designers set out to accomplish,” the deputy prime minister noted.
“We need to get as much information as possible in the course of operating these vehicles in order to adjust design solutions and technologies in consequent models,” Piotr Parkhomchik said. “Such vehicles enjoy a great demand in the Union State of Belarus and Russia now. The demand is way in excess of our manufacturing capacity. We are going to deal with the matter soon.”
In his words, there are plans to switch another Belarusian city to electric vehicles for mass transit purposes. “A managerial decision will be made on where such vehicles will be used. A regular government resolution will be signed soon,” he said.