Green light expected for US$1.74billion Bangkok bus plan
BANGKOK ~ The Thai government cabinet is expected to give the go-ahead later this week for a US$1.74 billion plan to lease-purchase 6,000 buses that will run on natural gas, replacing a similar number of diesel-driven vehicles over an 18-month period.
The plan, which was first mooted in August 2006, calls for the introduction of 3,000 buses in May next year (2009) and a further 3,000 to be put into service between September 2009 and October 2010.
Government officials have been tight-lipped about who will win the contract which is thought to be worth some US$1.74 billion over a 10-year period. Though the initial cost is likely to be only US$134,000 per vehicle, the cost of developing a chain of compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations, maintenance depots, and fees to the leasing company are expected to boost the figure to US$290,000 per vehicle.
A spokesman for local assembly company Thai Rung Union Car Plc confirmed today (14 July 2008) that the company is hoping to benefit from a cabinet decision this week.
The SET-listed company’s managing director, Mr Sompong Phaoenchoke, is on record as saying that the main operator of Bangkok’s public bus system - Bangkok Mass Transport Authority (BMTA) - has been haemorrhaging money for several years because of the inefficiency of its ageing diesel-fuelled fleet.
In an earlier interview Mr Sompong indicated that although consideration had been given to engines that would run on ethanol, the BMTA had concluded that a vehicle with a dedicated CNG engine would not only save money, it would also emit less carbon.
”Thai Rung has the necessary potential and stands a good chance of being closely involved in the design and assembly of such a vehicle,” he said, adding that the plan was to import chassis units and assemble the buses in Thailand.
There is keen interest among environmentalists as to who will get the contract to supply the engines. Thai Rung assembles vehicles for Isuzu, Nissan and Chevrolet in Thailand, but engines supplied under a co-operative arrangement between Canada’s Cummins Westport and Yuchai China are thought to be favoured for the BMTA fleet, and could be supplied along with a chassis from China’s Yugong Corporation.
Thai Rung spokesman, Mr Thatchai Janskul, said today (Monday 14 July 2008) “A prototype bus with a 260-horsepower engine was delivered into Bangkok early in July for trial purposes. I think it’s fair to say the bus has impressed BMTA executives.”
The bus measures 11.6 metres long and can seat up to 39 passengers and a driver, though it may be re-configured for the BMTA to seat 36 and have 39 standing, to transport a total of 75 passengers.
What is CNG?
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is composed of methane, and is refined from natural gas found most frequently in oil-fields.
CNG is a cleaner fuel than gasoline (petrol) and diesel and is used extensively in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, China and the USA, and is rapidly becoming popular in many other countries, including Thailand.
The energy efficiency of CNG is generally equal to that of gasoline, but lower compared with modern diesel engines. Gasoline engines converted to run on CNG suffer because of their low compression ratio, resulting in a reduction in delivered power of about 10 percent to 16 percent.
However, engines manufactured to run on CNG specifically use a higher compression ratio due to this fuel’s higher octane number of 120-130.
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