(buses[IN]gapore!): SBS Transit / NTU / THU : Higer KLQ6129GQH2 Fuel Cell Bus (RD6066L)

Friday, December 2, 2011

SBS Transit / NTU / THU : Higer KLQ6129GQH2 Fuel Cell Bus (RD6066L)

The Higer KLQ6129GQH2 Fuel Cell Bus was created to ferry athletes and officials around the Youth Olympics Village which was located at Yunnan Garden Campus in the Nanyang Technological University in August 2010.

According to phsyorg.org : "The hybrid fuel cell-battery bus is a joint research project by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and China's Tsinghua University (THU) and marks another major step forward in NTU's sustainability research and development."

The bus is zero emission, using a hybrid fuel cell that uses hydrogen and oxygen to transform to electricity, which is stored on in the battery and used to power the bus. It is also low entry, wheelchair accessible bus.

The Higer Fuel Cell Bus @ Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information.

The bus was constructed and tested in Suzhou.

On the road, probably under test drive in China. Photo from sgforums user ssvenisu

In front of Higer's company building in China. Photo from sgforums user ssvenisu

With the Chinese press in Higer's factory. Photo from sgforums user ssvenisu

The "engine" of the bus. Photo from sgforums user ssvenisu

After arrival to Singapore, it was under trial run, and was photographed by bigbus weblog's blogger.

Seen here driven around NTU with trade plate and SBS Transit livery minus the logo. Photo by bigbus

It was registered as RD6066L (RD standing for Research & Development) in July 2010, was launched with the Sunlong hybrids. It adorned its current blue advertisment "Zer0 Emission, Low noise, Emits Clean Water".

As the Higer departs Boon Lay Interchange. Photo by bigbus.

It was later deployed to do Youth Olympic Games (YOG) internal shuttle, under the plate YOG3419.

On driver familiarisation runs and with a full body YOG livery, YOG3418 making its rounds. Photo by bigbus.

And after the YOG, the bus was parked for a long time in its holding area in NTU.

In the holding area within NTU, seen with ezlink card readers and revenue service equipments.

Which it seems to remain inside until it was moved out to another spot within NTU from 17th Nov 2011 onwards.

Rough translation: To prevent leafs from clogging up and collecting water, please cover up the roof of the bus as soon as possible. Dated 2011.11.17 by THU.

On to the actual vehicle itself:

The front of the bus with citybus styling, though the top of the bus looks out of place with a higher roof. .

RD6066L, with its badging model number KLQ6128GQH2.

The roof of the Higer Fuel Cell vehicle, containing the airconditioning pod and fuel cell equipment. The advantages of this bus is shown in this advertisment in blue and green, together with the NTU and THU university logo..

The side EDS of the bus in close up.

The right side of the bus. The black portion under the driver's window adds a nice touch to the design of the bus.

The proud partners : SBS Transit, Land Transport Authority, Higer, and Sinohytec.

GreenLite. There is a rear camera mounted on the roof to aid the driver, and a long rear EDS is installed.

The rear enigne cover, with the Higer and its mandarin character branding covered by the advertisment livery.

*The bus interior is photographed from the outside of the bus through the windows.

The interior of the bus.

The interior colour scheme (thankfully) does not follow the entirely brown theme of the Scania K230UB, instead more of a lighter colour scheme with purple grab poles and yellow door frames. Revenue equipments had been removed.

The seats are by Vogelsitze, with the seating arrangement following standard layout of SBS Transit's low entry buses (K230UB Euro V). With one right wheelarch seat and 2 pairs of 5 side facing priority seats, one wheelchair bay, and standard two abreast seating for the rear half of the bus.