CHICAGO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Cummins, the diesel engine powerhouse, has started to provided electric powertrain to a leading U.S. bus manufacturer for zero-emission battery electric bus.
The California-based bus maker GILLIG is now taking orders for the Cummins-powered battery electric bus, Cummins said in a statement released on Thursday.
"With more than 200 years of combined experience, GILLIG and Cummins have a long history of collaborating to adopt new technologies and innovate power solutions for transit applications. This new offering is continued evidence of our commitment to do so," GILLIG President and CEO Derek Maunus was quoted as saying.
Cummins said the zero-emission battery electric bus incorporates its electrified powertrain, which features remote diagnostics and over-the-air connectivity. The bus will be initially equipped with the standard 444 kWh battery capacity.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the United States now has a fleet of only 300 electric buses, while China has 421,000. The rest of the world will struggle for years to match China's rapid embrace of electric transit.
China's BYD is the world's largest manufacturer of electric vehicles and batteries, and the global leader in battery-electric buses with more than 45,000 buses in service across 300 cities worldwide.
BYD has also set up a plant in California, making battery-electric buses for North America market.
