Japan Plans To Produce Electric Buses In 2011

As of right now there are cars and trains that are electric, but electric buses have not been made in mass production yet.  The Japanese wants to get in on this.  Several local companies and institutions are partnering in Japan to produce large-sized and eco-friendly buses.

The electric bus will be based on an Electric Lithium-Ion Car (Eliica) that was developed at Keio University.  The Eliica (pictured above) almost reminded me of the Ghostbusters car.  The Eliica can hit a top speed of 230MPH.  Isuzu will be in charge of the final design of the car.

The Japan Ministry of the Environment is sponsoring the electric bus project with $5 million.  Mass production is expected to start in 2011.  On a single charge, the bus is expected to run 150km on a single charge.  The costs of running an electric bus is supposedly 90% lower than diesel buses.

[via CrunchGear]

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