Ankai G9

The Ankai G9 (specific model designation: Ankai HFF6129G03EV6A) is a fully electric, low-floor single-deck city bus model offered by Chinese manufacturer Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd.（安徽安凯汽车）. One demonstrator unit is being supplied to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for revenue service trials.

First spotted in Singapore in late January 2023, the bus bears the Lush Green livery of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) public bus fleet and comes fitted with three passenger doors. The demonstrator unit bears the chassis number LA83J1JT5NA100182 and is registered as SG4009M, following in a series of trial buses for LTA (SG400x).

Revenue service trials commenced on 1 December 2023, operating on Bus Service 61. The bus last ran on 28 February 2024, concluding trial operations in about 3 months.

See also: Electric Buses in Singapore | Land Transport Guru

Background

Ankai is a bus manufacturer based in Anhui, China, primarily building buses for the domestic market. As an early adopter of electric buses, the company has sold such vehicles since 2004. The company’s latest offering, the Ankai G9 electric citybus series, can be configured in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive versions and be equipped with up to three passenger doors.

As for the broader electric bus market in Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) last procured 60 electric buses in 2018. Having been built with LTA specifications, this bus will almost certainly be offered to LTA as a trial, in line with LTA’s ongoing efforts to rapidly electrify the public bus fleet. Half of all public buses will be electric by 2030, which is about 3,000 buses.

Registration & Rollout

The bus was registered on 17 October 2023 to SMRT Buses, which operates the bus out of Bulim Bus Depot. It will be recharged at existing 90kW DC (CCS Type 2) electric bus chargers supplied by NARI, which were installed as part of the Yutong E12 & Yutong E12DD rollout.

The bus commenced revenue service trials on 1 December 2023, operating on Bus Service 61.

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Specifications

According to bus specifications listed online by local distributor HS Electric Bus Pte. Ltd. (Hong Seh Motors), the 12-metre Ankai G9 integrates major subcomponents from established suppliers, such as an electric drivetrain and brakes from ZF, air suspension and braking systems from WABCO, power steering from Bosch, and traction batteries from CATL.

The bus was formerly identified as the Ankai G912 based on the badging at the rear of the bus, which was later changed to Ankai G9 several months after the bus’ arrival in Singapore. Local distributor HS Electric Bus Pte. Ltd. also listed the bus as “Ankai G9” on its website.

* = specifications quoted by HS Electric Bus, subject to confirmation

The bus uses CATL Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries for a driving range of up to 300 km. These batteries are mounted on the roof and rear of the bus. Charging time from 20% to 80% is 2.5 hours @ DC 150 kW. For the drivetrain, the bus uses the ZF AVE 130 electric portal axle with two wheel hub motors, providing an output of around 245 kW.

Old name

The bus was formerly identified as the Ankai G912 based on the badging at the rear of the bus, which was later changed to Ankai G9 several months after the bus’ arrival in Singapore. Local distributor HS Electric Bus Pte. Ltd. also listed the bus as “Ankai G9” on its website.

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Interior

The Ankai G9 is a low-floor single-deck bus, offering step-free access across the entire bus length. The three-door configuration promotes ease of passenger access, with all doors being dual-leaf and at least a metre wide.

The passenger seats are of the Fainsa Punt model, and upholstered in blue and red, with red seats intended as priority seats. At 44 cm wide, these are among the widest known seats fitted to public buses, and the thick upholstery delivers a comfortable ride. Most aisle seats have folding armrests; the seats near the wheelchair bay being the exception.

Both wheelchair bays are located opposite the exit door. Each bay accommodates one passenger-in-wheelchair (PIW) and is equipped with a retractable safety belt and stroller restraint system for securing prams. The wheelchair backrest contains a foldable seat that doubles as a rear-facing seat; these seats do not contribute to the licensed seating capacity of the bus.

In addition, a pivoting handlebar is integrated with each wheelchair backrest. It can be manually deployed and stowed depending on the passenger’s needs.

The rear section of the bus features 8 pairs of seats, in a seating layout similar to other Chinese 3-door electric buses supplied to LTA, like the BYD B12A03, CRRC TEG6125BEV03 and Zhongtong N12. Unlike these other demonstrators, the last row of seats does not require an additional step to be accessed.

Other features

The Ankai G9 demonstrator bus is installed with Electronic Display Sign (EDS) and Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) units from LECIP.

The interior PIDS comprises two display screens: a forward LED display showing basic bus service information, and a mid-mounted LCD screen providing additional information such as subsequent bus stops, and rail connections. Another externally-facing LCD screen informs commuters about upcoming rail connections along the bus route.

Wall-mounted charging ports are provided at each seat, and wheelchair bays, rated for 1.0 A and 2.1 A output. This ‘chute door’ design is a first for local public buses, and must be pulled out to reveal the USB type A connectors.

The entrance doors are inward-gliding, while both exit doors are outward-sliding plug doors, with floor areas near the door demarcated in yellow. Each door also has passenger counters fitted above. A manual wheelchair ramp is built into the floor of the middle door.

For the air-conditioning vents, the bus uses adjustable air-conditioning louvres of both small and large sizes. The adjusting knobs of the large louvres are removed on revenue service with only around half of them open, indicating that they were not intended for passenger adjustment.

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Gallery:

Gallery (Interior):

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LTA Trial Bus Series:

 

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References:

• Antonwoods Weibo Post [Accessed 1 Jul 2023]
• Models – HS Electric Bus (hseb.sg) [Accessed 1 Jul 2023]
• 产品中心_安凯客车｜安心车 凯旋路 (ankai.com) [Accessed 1 Jul 2023]