Electric buses ‘made in Moscow’. First Kamaz units to start service by June

First electric buses produced in Moscow are ready to go on routes. A first batch of 25 electric buses of the Moscow assembly plant are being run-in. The first 10 units will go on routes in early June.

The plant has been opened by Russian vehicle manufacturer Kamaz. The production site is located on the territory of the Sokolniki Car Repair and Construction Plant (SVARZ) – a branch of the State Unitary Enterprise Mosgortrans.

Accordingly, an assembly line designed to produce up to 500 electric buses per year will operate at SVARZ as the first stage. Kamaz announced the move towards Moscow-based production of electric buses in 2019.

SVAZ plant in Moscow for electric bus production

The workshop for the production of electric buses at SVARZ was conceived back in 2019, its main goal is to reduce the time of assembly, delivery, maintenance of transport and save on logistics. In August 2020, the project solution for reconstruction and repair was ready. The project was implemented with the support of the Moscow City Government.

In March 2021, the first stage of work was completed. Modernization of the production facilities of SVARZ was with an area of seven thousand square meters. The created production facilities are designed for the assembly of up to 500 electric buses per year, Mosgortrans says.

Still according to a press note issued by Mosgortrans, «About 20 assembly operations are performed on Moscow SVARZ, which is about 20% of the work on each machine. The main types of work are the setup of all systems, the installation of current collectors, traction equipment, which is the heart of each machine. Specialists set up and check all the functionality, performance, quality, safety and compliance with the technical task».

Moscow: ahead with production of electric buses

“Today, Moscow is the leader in the production of electric buses in Europe. The opening of a factory for the production of electric buses in Moscow is an opportunity to quickly and efficiently develop the capital’s transport, setting a trend for other Russian and foreign cities. A unique feature of SVARZ is the complete absence of harmful emissions — the production is completely eco-friendly. The new plant will also provide Muscovites with more than 200 jobs and about 100 million rubles of tax revenue per year. This year more than 60% of electric buses from the new delivery will be assembled in Moscow – to make trips even more convenient and environmentally friendly”, – Maksim Liksutov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.