Electric buses are in service in many North American and European cities, notably London, which has committed to eliminating pure diesel (non-hybrid) buses, and Los Angeles, which plans to make its fleet emissions-free by 2030. 12 major cities have pledged to buy only all-electric buses starting in 2025.

However, these efforts pale in comparison to what’s going on in Shenzhen. The Chinese megacity of 12 million, which has been adding electric buses to its fleet for years, has now announced that it has completely electrified its fleet, with some 16,359 e-buses in operation.

The city has built 8,000 charge points at 510 bus charging stations, and can charge roughly half the fleet at any given time. The electric buses are saving an estimated 345,000 tons of fuel per year, and 1.35 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Shenzhen also has a plan in place to update its taxi fleet to EVs. A reported 63 percent of the city’s 12,000 taxis already run on electricity.

“We will gradually replace the existing fuel-powered cabs with electricity-powered ones and complete the target by 2020, or even ahead of schedule,” said Zheng Jingyu, head of Shenzhen’s public transport department.

Source: Shenzhen Transport Commission via Electrek