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MAZ nearly done testing new buses powered by natural gas

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MINSK, 21 September (BelTA) – The Belarusian automobile engineering company MAZ is about to finish testing prototypes of new low-floor urban buses MAZ-103946 and MAZ-203946, BelTA has learned.

MAZ has already made such vehicles using German engines. The new buses use engines made by Weichai.

MAZ had to switch to Chinese engines because the previous partner – the German company Mercedes-Benz – is shutting down the production of engines that use compressed gas in order to start assembling electric motors and increase the production of electric vehicles by 10%, MAZ Chief Designer for Buses Yuri Syrokvash explained.

The buses MAZ-103946 and MAZ-203946 can carry virtually 100 passengers each. They have 22 and 24 vandal-proof passenger seats respectively, tinted glass with sliding windows, an ERA GLONASS-powered emergency call system, a multiplex system for controlling electric equipment, and other options.

MAZ started testing the durability and reliability of the new buses in July and intends to finish testing them in October.

No critical faults have been detected so far. Once the tests are over, the company will have to certify the buses and will start selling them to customers such as transport companies in Russia and Ukraine. No concrete orders have been received yet. MAZ hopes it will receive orders for the new products soon.

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