| STROBO Series 7 Bus | |
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| Manufacturer | ST Engineering / BYD |
| Bodywork | BYD Auto Co., Ltd. |
| Years in operation | 2020 – |
| Operators | – |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 7 metre |
| Motor | TBC |
| Accessibility | Low Entry |
| Emissions | Zero tailpipe emissions |
The STROBO Series 7 Bus is a low-entry, autonomous and fully-electric single-deck city bus produced by ST Engineering Land Systems, in partnership with BYD Auto. It is based on the BYD K6 electric bus, and equipped for fully-autonomous operation.
The STROBO Series 7 Bus was first revealed in October 2019 during the 26th Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress, under ST Engineering’s “STROBO” branding for autonomous solutions; however, it is believed this branding was dropped later. The bus is charged via a plug-in charging interface, with a range of roughly 150 kilometres per charge.
In 2020, one unit is registered as RD3174C.
ST Engineering has since discontinued its autonomous bus development efforts in late 2022.
Background Information:
ST Engineering started pursuing autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies in 2017. The company has since developed niche AV technologies such as automotive cybersecurity, advanced autonomy and platform-agnostic AV kits. Through a build-test-deploy spiral approach, AV technologies are tested and demonstrated at different stages of development to reduce risk, enhance reliability and readiness for deployment.
On 20 March 2019, ST Engineering and BYD signed a Memorial-Of-Understanding (MOU) to develop autonomous bus platforms. With the MOU, ST Engineering would form a consortium in response to a Call for Collaboration by the Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) for the pilot deployment of autonomous buses and shuttles in Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District.
ST Engineering Land Systems’ STROBO portfolio brand of autonomous bus platforms was unveiled at the ITS World Congress 2019 in Singapore, held on October 2019. Designed to meet urban traffic requirements and weather conditions, the STROBO Bus will offer customers more choices based on their operational requirements.
For the STROBO Series 7 bus, the BYD K6 electric city bus was used as the vehicle platform and integrated with an autonomous vehicle (AV) kit developed by ST Engineering. Both partners have indicated interest to market the joint platform internationally.
See Also: Autonomous Buses in Singapore
Autonomous Development:
According to LinkedIn posts by the personnel involved in the project, this bus was fitted with the ‘Gen 2 AV kit coupled with upgrade AV software stack’, an improvement over the ‘Gen 1’ fitted on the ST Autobus. The bus received AV Authorization in July 2022 and passed CETRAN Milestone 1 in January 2023.
ST Engineering STROBO Series 7 Autonomous Electric Bus (BYD):
| Basic Technical Specifications (STROBO Series 7) |
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| Vehicle Type |
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| Size | 7m (Length) x 2.1m (Width) x 3m (Height) |
| Weight |
Curb: 6,400 kg | Maximum: 8,200 kg |
| Battery & Charging | Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries: 105kWh Charged via Plug-In Connection |
| Bodywork | BYD Integral bodywork Low Entry layout |
| Seating Capacity | Configurable. Default Configuration: 9 Seated, 15 Standing, 1 Wheelchair |
| Maximum Operating Speed | Up to 50 km/h |
| Operating Range | Up to 150 km/charge, depending on operating scenarios |
| Additional Features |
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Interior
Passenger Cabin
The interior of the bus features 9 permanent seats, with 1 foldable seat. Being a low-entry bus, the bus offers step-free access except at the rear.
Handgrips are located on both sides of the aisle. All seats also have hand grips to provide commuters with additional support. Bus stopping bell-pushes are located around the bus cabin, mounted to stanchion poles. Emergency hammers are located on the side pillars.
Emergency Exit
The STROBO Series 7 bus features an emergency door located at the rear offside of the bus. Formerly a mandated safety feature on buses, these have largely been replaced with emergency hammers as a means of emergency egress.
Wheelchair Bay
Wheelchair accessibility is offered via a manual wheelchair ramp installed at the door. The STROBO Series 7 bus has one wheelchair bay located opposite the middle door, accommodating one passenger-in-wheelchair (PIW).
Beside the wheelchair bay is a standing area with a one foldable seat.
Driver’s Compartment
As a regular human-operated bus retrofitted for autonomous operation, the STROBO Series 7 bus has a driver’s cabin. As per amendments to the Singapore Road Traffic Act regarding Autonomous Motor Vehicles that were introduced in 2017, all autonomous vehicles are required to have a qualified safety driver/operator to monitor the operation of the vehicle and to take over operation of the vehicle if necessary.
The layout of the driver’s compartment has frequently-operated controls in close reach of the driver. A screen on the left is used as an interface to the autonomous driving system.
At the ITS 2019 exhibition, the side window was blacked out.
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