Nissan will use its Leaf technology for an electric bus project which starts testing next month in Japan.
Led by Kumamoto University, the initiative brings together expertise from the automotive industry, government and academia. It is part of the university’s involvement with a Japanese Ministry of Environment project aiming to reduce or eliminate CO2 and other emissions from larger vehicles such as buses and trucks.
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Real-world testing is scheduled to begin in February in Kumamoto City in western Japan.
A major obstacle in creating large electric vehicles has been the high cost of development and parts, including batteries and electric motors. By using technology already conceived by Nissan, the cost of manufacturing electric buses can be greatly reduced.
The bus, named ‘Yoka ECO Bus,’ will feature three batteries, three electric motors and an inverter from the Nissan Leaf. Nissan is also developing a gearbox for the bus and offering technical support.
“We hope to improve Japan’s environment by standardising the manufacturing of EV buses with help from the know-how of automakers,” said Kumamoto University associate professor and project leader, Toshiro Matsuda.
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