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Beijing Opens Fast-Charging Center for Electric Buses

The State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC) has opened a new charging center for electric-powered buses at the Xiaoying Terminal in Beijing.
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The State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC) has opened a new charging center for electric-powered buses at the Xiaoying Terminal in Beijing. The 285,000-sq-ft facility, which is described as the largest recharging center in the world, can accommodate 30 transit buses at one time.

The terminal’s 30 chargers include 25 ultra-fast 360-kW systems and five 90-kW units. Stafford, Tex.-based Microvast Inc. supplies the charging systems.

 A bus can be fully recharged in 15 minutes or less via a 360-kW charger, according to SGCC. Each bus is typically recharged two to three times per day during driver breaks. It’s not clear how far the buses can travel between charges.

SGCC, which claims to be the largest electric utility in the world, plans to add new charging facilities and expand others over the next five years. The Beijing terminal previously supported natural gas hybrid-electric buses.

The ultra-fast chargers are less expensive and faster than swapping out batteries and recharging them separately, according to the utility. Microvast has supplied 6,500 of the units to users worldwide. 

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