Business news

MINSK, 4 August (BelTA) – Designers of the Belarusian automaker MAZ have started working on an electric bus, BelTA learned from Vasily Vladytsky, Deputy Chief Designer of the company’s Bus Design Division.

The executive said: “The development of design documents for an electric bus is one of the latest projects handled by our department. So far we have managed to finish only the requirements specification but we understand that today it is necessary to rapidly make new products and find new target markets. This is why the project is supposed to be developed rather intensively. I think a prototype will be ready by spring.”

Vasily Vladytsky explained that the electric bus will not be powered by an internal combustion engine. Instead it will rely on energy storage units, possibly lithium-ion batteries. “We have not decided on energy storage devices yet. It is likely that this part of the project will be outsourced. Romanian partners are considered as one of the options,” said the Deputy Chief Designer of the MAZ Bus Design Division. The new product will be export-oriented and will target the European Union market.

Minsk Automobile Plant was founded in 1944. In 2009 it was reincorporated into the public joint-stock company (OAO) MAZ. In 2012 OAO MAZ became the management company of the holding company BelavtoMAZ. The holding company comprises ten enterprises that employ about 30,000 people. The holding company makes truck tractors, high-sided trucks, medium-capacity automobiles, dump trucks, log trucks, short log trucks, cross-country vehicles, chassis fit for special equipment. MAZ offers over 500 models and modifications of trucks and 17 base models and about 100 modifications of passenger vehicles.