Vehicle manufacturer Etalon Corporation has released a prototype of the Malva Electro A08611 electric city bus, which has now passed all tests and is being prepared for certification, said Volodymyr Butko, president of Etalon Corporation.
“We want to be in the European Union, and electric buses are an environmental requirement, so we need to move with them, make technological changes in production and design. This is our first electric bus model, and we believe that it will be in demand,” Butko said during a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
At the same time, he noted that although tenders for electric buses are currently held mainly for 12-meter vehicles, he believes they will not be as efficient as 9.5-10-meter ones. “And this is supported by those who started producing electric buses before us,” Butko supported his position.
According to the presentation of the electric bus, the electric bus was created on the basis of the Malva city diesel bus, which debuted last year, in cooperation with the company Informservice (Moldova), which supplies high-voltage traction equipment. The electric bus has a range of up to 200 km.
The main difference from the basic bus model is the superstructure on the roof of the electric bus, where the batteries are located.
The electric bus is designed for 24 seats (plus two folding seats) and 29 standing seats, and there is also a place for a wheelchair.
The exterior lighting is LED, manufactured by European companies. There is also a possibility of installing a liquid heater for the passenger compartment, which runs on Euro 6 diesel fuel.
“This solution makes it possible to better adapt to the conditions of winter operation in Ukraine and provides a longer mileage on a single charge,” the video presentation says.
Among the external features is a door for connecting a charger, which is typical for all electric buses.
“The characteristics of the new electric bus generally correspond to those of foreign analogues, and their further improvement will be achieved through the use of the latest batteries and traction drives, as well as some traditional units and components for electric buses,” the presentation says.
Speaking about the price of an electric bus, Butko noted that it is about three times higher than the cost of a diesel bus.
“The price of a diesel bus is about 100-110 thousand euros (excluding VAT), and an electric bus will be three times more expensive. But if we compare it with European analogues, for example, Polish Solaris or Turkish Otocar with almost the same functionality and length will cost EUR530-550 thousand (excluding VAT). That is, we understand that electric transport is not a cheap story,” said the president of the corporation.
He also cited the prices of trolleybuses for comparison: while the corporation sells ordinary 12-meter trolleybuses for EUR300 thousand and autonomous trolleybuses for EUR400 thousand, the Czech Republic sells Skoda trolleybuses for more than EUR700 thousand (all excluding VAT).
“That is, we have, let’s say, a gap due to the probably lower cost of electricity than in Europe, lower wages… And we probably don’t have the profit margin that they put into their production and sales. Ours is 10%, and that’s still good,” Butko summarized.
Etalon Corporation comprises 12 enterprises, including Chernihiv Automobile Plant (ChAZ), which produces buses of various classes and trolleybuses. The main areas of activity are vehicle manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and warehouse logistics.
Khmelnytsky Municipal Enterprise Electrontrans has signed an agreement with the winner of a tender for the supply of new trolleybuses funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a combination of Chernihiv Automobile Plant LLC and Politechnoservice LLC (Kyiv region), Khmelnytsky Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn said.
“We have signed an agreement with the winner of the tender for the purchase of 42 new trolleybuses. This will allow us to almost completely renew the trolleybus fleet and not return to this issue for years,” Symchyshyn wrote on Facebook.
As reported, on January 10, 2024, Electrotrans, together with the EBRD, announced a tender for the purchase of 44 units of new trolleybuses, as well as spare parts and diagnostic equipment, under the EBRD’s Green Cities program. Later, the number of trolleybuses was updated to 42.
In April 2023, the EBRD announced a EUR10.6 million loan to Khmelnytskyi’s Electrotrans for the purchase of trolleybuses, maintenance and diagnostic equipment. It was noted that the EBRD loan is part of a financial package that also includes investment grants from the EU and the US totaling EUR 4.45 million.
“For these funds, we are purchasing 44 trolleybuses along with spare parts and diagnostic equipment,” Symchyshyn wrote, adding that the winner of the tender for the purchase of 42 trolleybuses offered a lower than expected price, which allows the city to buy two more trolleybuses with the saved funds.
According to him, the plant is to deliver 42 trolleybuses to Khmelnytsky within 62 weeks, including 34 with a range of up to 2 km and eight trolleybuses with a range of up to 20 km.
The first five trolleybuses are to be delivered by the end of 2024.
The Etalon low-floor trolleybuses with electronics from Politechnoservice are equipped with air conditioning for the driver’s and passenger compartments, a screw compressor to reduce noise in the cabin, an information system, and USB connectors for charging phones.
“All the power electronics of the vehicles, as well as the autonomous driving systems, are made in Ukraine,” said Symchyshyn.
The project “Framework Program for the Development of Public Transport in Ukraine 2, Khmelnytskyi Trolleybus” is part of the EBRD’s Green Cities program, which Khmelnytskyi joined in 2019.
Etalon Corporation, one of the leading Ukrainian vehicle manufacturers, in 2021 introduces to the market a tram car of its own design TR 3100 based on the overhauled Czech tram Tatra T3, with the replacement of the bodywork with a new one on the basis of Tatra wheel bogies, Director General of Chernihiv Automobile Plant Andriy Savchenko said.
“The first sample has already been manufactured, it has advantages over competitors, it can be offered in several versions. Taking into account the fact that 14 Ukrainian cities have tram lines, and the depreciation of the rolling stock is more than 90%, we hope that the project will be successful. In early 2021 we will conduct final tests, and we are already negotiating the purchase with tram depots, ” Savchenko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
According to the information in the video presentation of the tram, released at the press conference, the model is offered in three versions, with the manufacture of a new bodywork with modern equipment and overhaul of bogies; with a new bodywork, equipment and purchase of new bogies; production of only the bodywork with varying degrees of equipment.
“Among tram depots, such a tram is relevant due to the depreciation of the fleet, its technological backwardness and high energy consumption, and the cost of a new tram is three times higher than that of an overhaul,” the presentation said.
The tram is almost 16 meters long, with a gross weight of 32 tonnes, and has a low floor area (in the middle of the cabin) with the possibility of wheelchair access. Traction drive is manufactured by the Informbusiness company (Moldova) with the ability to disconnect one of the bogies.
“Today Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhia and Vinnytsia are engaged in overhaul of trams in Ukraine. Dnipro purchases trams abroad and brings them here. And similar to our trams are made by the Polytechnoservice company, i.e. a new bodywork on overhauled bogies,” Savchenko said.
He did not disclose the price of the tram.
The corporation also presented a new fully low-floor trolleybus of a large class (12 meters) with an autonomous run of 20 km and dynamic recharging, with an asynchronous electric motor from a Latvian manufacturer (Riga Electric Machine Building Works), a traction drive and an autonomous running system of the Informbusiness company.
“Yes, we have abandoned traction motors produced by our Electrotyazhmash and switched to Riga ones, and as far as I know, our other manufacturers are also switching to them. They are much better [in quality] and the manufacturer provides a system of discounts,” Savchenko said.
At present, the design documentation has already been developed and the first sample has been manufactured.
Etalon Corporation unites 21 enterprises, including two automobile plants (in Boryspil and Chernihiv), as well as the Ukrainian Cardan plant, which produces cardan shafts, and Chernihiv Forging Plant. The main activity is bus and machine building, warehouse logistics.
SP Investments LLC (the United States) on April 22 acquired 77 million shares, or 100% of the charter capital, of PrJSC Etalon Insurance Company (Kyiv), according to the insurer’s official information. Prior to the acquisition of shares, SP Investments LLC or its affiliates did not hold shares in Etalon. According to the report, the highest price of shares, which were purchased within 12 days, was UAH 0.205 per share.
Etalon insurance company was established in 1993. It has 24 licenses for nine compulsory and 15 voluntary types of insurance. The company offers more than 50 insurance products for individuals and legal entities. It has an extensive regional network of representative offices in Ukraine.
