Guangzhou Armada Development Co Ltd yesterday signed an agreement with US-based Eaton Corp to promote the latter's hybrid power system for city buses in Guangdong province and Chongqing municipality.

Guangzhou Armada is a private firm with more than 5,500 buses in Guangzhou, Chongqing and Guilin, while Eaton Corp is a leading provider of diesel-electric hybrid power systems for trucks and buses and is also a pioneer in hydraulic hybrid power system technologies for use in refuse trucks, delivery vehicles and buses among other things.

Initially, the agreement will see the deployment of the hybrid power system in 300 more city buses of Guangzhou Armada.

The agreement came in the wake of the introduction of the hybrid power system in 30 city buses of Guangzhou No 1 Bus Co Ltd in January.

"Operating the buses with Eaton's hybrid power system in the past three months has demonstrated improved fuel economy and significant environmental benefits," said Zhang Weixiong, chairman of Guangzhou Armada and Guangzhou No 1 Bus Co Ltd. "We intend to expand the use of hybrid power in our fleet to take greater advantage of this clean energy source."

He said his firm will give priority to Guangzhou city buses in deploying the hybrid power system.

Zhang said city buses with the hybrid power system save about 60 percent of fuel and reduces emission by 25 percent compared with those fueled by LPG.

(China Daily April 10, 2008)