Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

THE previously obscure Shenzhen Bus Group Antuo Hill Depot has swiftly become the talk of the town following a brief visit by California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week, who marveled at its advanced charging technologies and level of intelligence.

The depot has the largest  bus charging facilities in Shenzhen Bus Group, equipped with an advanced intelligent management system and a smart dispatch management center.

Smart depot

Put into operation in 2018, the depot is the group’s benchmark new energy vehicle (NEV) charging station, with six charging stacks and 80 charging poles. Now, the depot can charge about 214 vehicles a day on average, according to the bus group.

In the daytime, the station is open to public vehicles for charging. Drivers can have a cup of coffee and read a book  at a recreational area specially created for them while their vehicles charge. A full charge usually takes about one hour.

After midnight, the station enters the “charging time” for public buses. It takes 100 minutes for the largest public transit bus, BYD K8, to fully charge and less than one hour for the smallest model, BYD B6.

This alternating day and night pattern allows for a more efficient utilization of the charging facilities, according to the group.

This green, efficient and clean transportation station represents the future development trend of transportation in Shenzhen, according to a manager of the group who preferred to be unidentified.

Another prominent label of the depot is “smart.”

Deploying technologies such as big data, AI algorithms and 5G, the smart dispatch management center of the station has achieved refined management of dispatch operations and realized remote vehicle safety supervision. AI-powered behavior analysis in the smart recognition devices installed on buses can spot drivers’ unsafe driving behaviors.

Additionally, an independently developed AI violation inspection feature  can intelligently spot violations such as failure to yield at pedestrian crossings and speeding at intersections.

“Since the application of the system, the rate of accidents and violations has decreased by 50%. We can check 6,000 vehicles per minute,” a staffer at the center said.

City of

Superchargers

Shenzhen Bus Group, operator of the largest new energy bus fleet in the world, has so far built 81 charging stations across the city, offering charging services not only to buses, but also for cabs and other NEVs. It plans to build 100 supercharging stations, where new charging technology allows NEVs to be fully recharged “within a cup of coffee’s time,” in six months.

This is a microcosm of Shenzhen’s accelerated construction of the City of Superchargers.

Shenzhen, which boasts ownership of 860,000 NEVs, had built a total of 44 supercharging stations by September. Another 17 are under construction, according to the city’s development and reform commission.

The city plans to build 150 public supercharging stations by the end of 2023, with the goal of doubling it to 300 by March 2024, according to the commission.

The planned supercharging stations will be mainly built around high-traffic areas like airports, high-speed rail hubs, municipal parks, and commercial centers to support the growing demand for charging infrastructure.

During the International Digital Energy Expo 2023 in June, Shenzhen displayed its first fully liquid-cooled supercharging demonstration station.

Under optimal conditions, the station, developed in partnership with the Shenzhen power supply bureau under China Southern Power Grid and Huawei, can supply enough power in just one second to travel 1 km.

This new technology provides a quieter, more stable and safer charging environment compared to traditional air-cooling methods. Furthermore, with fewer parts susceptible to wear, the equipment’s lifespan can be up to 20 years longer.