[Buses in Beijing]京华 Jinghua BK6122EV2 <BEV> 北京公交集团 BPT #8016 Front-right at Mingguang Bridge North

This is undoubtedly a super star bus, BK6122EV2 12m low floor battery-electric city bus built by the already vanished Jinghua buses. Very few buses are fortunate enough to transport that many important passengers like BK6122EV2 did---BK6122EV2 is designed for the Olympics.

 

BK6122EV2 is the successor of BK6120EV, a not so successful low floor battery-electric bus that was drawn out of service (actually BK6120EVs rest for a much longer time than they run). As the respond to the promise of Green Olympics, BK6122EV2 was the solution to the eco-friendly transportation inside the Olympic Village and among the key centers and venues.

 

Electricity is stored in the Li-Mn battery packs, products of Citic Guoan MGL Battery Application Technologies, beneath the two longitudinal rows of passenger seats. Propulsion comes from a rated 100kW (134hp) AC traction motor made by CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. The speed is controlled not only by the motor rotation; collaborating with the motor is a 3-speed automated mechanical transmission (AMT) gearbox, which is rarely seen on other electric buses (including trolley-buses). Recharged for 4 hours to the fullest capacity, the bus is able to cruise 190km (118miles) at 40km/h with pure zero emission. At the recharge station, the removable battery packs can be easily replaced by fully recharged ones within 20 minutes, so none of these units needs to stay in the recharge station during their batteries are being recharged.

 

The body exterior applies Jinghua’s newest, and also last, design, nicknamed “King Kong” from the “bellicose” headlights (and the rear lights, not shown in this picture). The face is deemed ugliest ever in Beijing public transportation history, for the reason that the headlight and the plate hollow vividly resemble a pair of glaring eyes and pouting mouse of a furious man, where the designer probably got inspired. Since designed for the Olympics, an important event requiring “luxury”, most of the windows remain tight, unlike other air conditioning buses these years. Very different from the majority of city buses in Beijing, BK6122EV2 has outward-sliding doors (not slide-plug doors), single-leaf front and double-leaf rear. Center-lowered axles (50 pairs for all the Olympic electric buses) are presented to BPT by German ZF as an act of promotion and support to eco-friendly vehicles and the Olympics. Alloy wheels are from ALCOA which also equipped a few JNP6120GC units and DD6129S31 (Bafangda).

 

A prototype BK6122EV3 (Fleet No. 8050) and its sibling BK6122EV (Fleet No. 8049), with different face and inward-swinging doors, debuted a few years before the Olympics. After some modifications had been placed, the mass-produced BK6122EV2 came out and were designated to Olympics lines after a short run-in period. During the Olympics, the electric buses offered services on Olympic Village Loop Line (inside the village), Media Shuttle Line (between the Media Village and the Main Press Center) and Center Olympic Area Loop Line. A recharge and maintenance center, which is now Beitucheng Bus Yard, was established in Olympic Sports Center. During the Olympics and Paralympics, these star buses received honorable praise from all their passengers for the very quiet operation, notably absorbing ride, efficient dual-mode air-conditioning and extraordinarily handsome livery “Auspicious Clouds” (Please search the internet for pictures) which has been removed from all units at the end of last year.

 

After the Games, although before it was said that some of the BK6122EV2s were to be transformed into trackless trolley buses (add “braids”), they stayed battery electric. In October 2008, some were assigned to Olympic Special Line 1, some were on Sightseeing Line 5 (now abolished), and Olympic Special Line 6, which was taken over by Trolleybus Division from Division 2. Now, some units are still serving on 81, the former Olympic Special Line 1, with Foton electric-hybrid buses, and 84, the former Olympic Special Line 6, while others are also prepared for dispatches.

 

In the picture, Fleet No. 8012 on Line 84 has just pulled out of Jimen Bridge South bus stop, and is ready to pull in to Minguang Bridge North. These electric buses are the only operating buses in BPT that are bearing 4-digit fleet numbers, where digit 8 still stands for Trolleybus division. The bus type digit, the second digit, is absent owing to the lack of a number that stands for electric buses. The second snow this year, which had been much earlier than most years’ first snow, had fallen from the sky all over the night, blanketing everything with at least 20cm thick snow. Meanwhile, the leaves of most trees have not withered yet.

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