May 16 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian-Chinese tie-up Higer-Aowei won a tender to supply 15 electric buses and six charging stations in Sofia for 8.37 million euro ($9.36 million), VAT excluded, the Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company said on Thursday.
The electric buses, which will be equipped with fast-charging technology, will be delivered by the end of this autumn, the Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company said in an article for local weekly Capital posted on the company's website.
The contract is financed with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
"The price for one bus is 488,000 euro, as it includes supply, testing, training, a 10-year guarantee of the ultra-capacitor, compared to a 5-7 year guarantee for batteries," Milen Milev, CEO of Chariot Motors, the company that represents the tie-up in Bulgaria, was quoted as saying.
If the Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company is pleased with the performance of the electric buses, it will buy another 15 under the same conditions.
In October EBRD approved a project envisaging provision of a loan of up to 14.7 million euro to the Sofia Electrical Transport Company for the purchase of 30 electric low floor buses. Sofia's public transport company will also purchase 12 charging stations, as well as the related spare parts and services, the EBRD said at the time.
The tender for the supply of the electric buses opened in May 2018. Some 30 potential suppliers showed interest but only Higer-Aowei and Chinese automobile company Build Your Dreams (BYD) filled bids in the tender.
($ = 0.8943 euro)