SINGAPORE – ST Engineering and MAN Truck and Bus are making a push to be part of Singapore’s drive to electrify its public bus fleet, with a private transport operator here purchasing an electric bus by the European maker.
The single-deck electric bus, MAN Lion’s City E, was unveiled in a showcase at the ST Engineering Hub at Ang Mo Kio Electronics Park Road on Aug 29.
“This is the very first right-hand drive electric bus from MAN that they have produced, and Singapore is the first country to receive it from MAN,” said Mr Hoe Yeen Teck, who heads ST Engineering’s mobility road and services.
ST Engineering is the exclusive importer and distributor of MAN Bus in Singapore, and has supplied more than 1,000 diesel buses to the public bus fleet in Singapore.
The two companies are collaborating “to bring a new generation of electric buses with innovative advanced driver assistance system technology that supports Singapore’s drive towards a cleaner public bus fleet”, ST Engineering said.
MAN Lion’s City E runs on a new generation of battery technology and has one of the highest battery capacities among single-deck electric buses here. It has a total battery capacity of approximately 480kWh across six battery packs, said ST Engineering.
This enables it to run for longer periods before needing to be charged and to ferry more passengers than buses running on the previous-generation battery technology, with the bus having a seating capacity of 40 passengers, said the company.
Unlike other electric buses, which typically carry batteries on the roofs and rears, this bus carries batteries exclusively on its roof to prevent damage in the event of collisions, said ST Engineering.
This electric bus is also the first in Singapore to use digital cameras in place of side mirrors, with displays inside the bus providing the driver with an enhanced field of vision for improved safety. This system is similar to the MAN OptiView digital mirror replacement system used on the company’s vehicles.
The first unit was purchased by private transport operator Leisure Frontier for $600,000, excluding the certificate of entitlement cost.
Leisure Frontier managing director Terence Ng said the company will start using the new electric bus in the fourth quarter of 2024 for shuttle services for malls, offices and army camps.
Leisure Frontier is also discussing orders for more units of the bus, said ST Engineering’s Mr Hoe.
Mr Alexander Vlaskamp, chief executive of MAN Truck and Bus, said: “Singapore is a very important market for us when it comes to South-east Asia.”
He added that his company welcomes Singapore’s green ambition to electrify half its public bus fleet by 2030.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) plans to have half of Singapore’s 6,000 public buses run on electricity by 2030, as well as to have all public buses run on cleaner energy by 2040. This is part of efforts to cut emissions from the land transport sector, which accounts for 15 per cent of the carbon dioxide that Singapore produces.
In November 2023, LTA ordered 360 new electric buses worth $166.4 million from BYD and Cycle & Carriage, which will bring the total number of electric public buses here to 420. These buses will be progressively deployed for passenger service from December 2024 to replace diesel buses reaching the end of their statutory lifespan.
