50 Li-ion battery powered buses for Olympics

CHINA WATCH  Another piece of green news for the 2008 Olympics: officials say about 50 buses powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries will be put into service for the Beijing Olympics next year, according to Chinadaily.

The bus has been tested on the local 121 route for some time, but hasn’t been rolled out until now. Oh well, better late than never. Greenbang isn’t exactly an Olympic athlete, but I’ll hopefully have the chance to try out the athletes’ exclusive bus this weekend.

The Li-ion power battery is used in vehicles with a higher energy density, comparatively smaller cubage and longer span for repetitive use. Moreover, its high efficiency and zero emission have made itself a major subject of battery research and development at home and abroad.

However, frequent accidents caused by Li-ion battery occurred in recent year, especially the blast of Li-ion battery in a laptop computer last year aroused public attention on the battery’s safety.

Qi Lu, professor with Peking University, said the material of the Li-ion battery used in the Olympic buses is different and fully reliable for its safety.