First electric buses appear in Kazakh capital after New Year

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – The first 30 electric buses from the beginning of the 2020 have appeared on the streets of the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, Astana LRT public relations department said on 3 January.
“Seventy buses will arrive before the end of spring,” Nauat Azanbaeva, director of the Astana LRT public relations department, told reporters.
The length of the electric bus is 12 metres and their capacity is 96 passengers. The vehicle will take two and a half hours to charge, Azanbaeva said.
The cost of one Yutong bus is 146.7 million tenge, or $388,000, including a charging station.
Buses are equipped with a lithium battery with a power reserve of 350 kilometres, heat and air conditioning.
Kazakhstan, which is rich in fossil fuels, has decided to support green energy.
The international specialised exhibition under the auspices of the International Exhibition Bureau Astana – EXPO – 2017 was held in the summer of 2017. The theme of the exhibition is Energy of the Future.