The Yutong E10, also sold as the longer Yutong E12, is a battery electric single-decker bus manufactured by Yutong in Zhengzhou since 2016 for both Chinese and international bus operators.
The Yutong E10 debuted in China in 2016, transporting delegates to meetings of the National People's Congress in Beijing.
Design
Both the Yutong E10 and Yutong E12 are powered by a 350 kW electric motor capable of producing of torque. The buses carry twelve lithium iron phosphate batteries with a maximum charging capacity of 442kWh, allowing for a maximum range of on a single charge. Regenerative braking can also be used to extend the range of the bus by up to 40%. Both buses use ZF front and rear axles, the former using an independent suspension, as well as ZF electro-hydraulic power steering. The buses use an Electronically Controlled Air Suspension (ECAS) consisting of airbags in the front and rear of the bus, in addition to ZF SACHS shock absorbers.
In the United Kingdom, both buses can carry 70 passengers, with the E10 carrying 35 seated and 36 standing passengers and the E12 carrying 39 seated and 31 standing passengers. Wheelchair access is provided on both buses as standard.
Exports
The Yutong E12 is popular in the Nordic countries. The city of Roskilde in Denmark received its first Yutong buses in 2019, replacing its diesel bus fleet with 20 E12s. The cities of Copenhagen and Odense, as well as Bergen in Denmark, who all have bus services run by Keolis soon followed, with each city receiving deliveries of Yutong E12s throughout 2020 and 2021. 14 Yutong E12s were also delivered for service in Iceland's capital city of Reykjavik in November 2018, while 35 E12s were delivered to both the Finnish capital of Helsinki and neighbouring Kerava in 2019.
In Poland, nine E10s were delivered to the city of Polkowice in 2021, twelve E12s were delivered to the city of Łomża in 2022, and 20 E12s have been ordered by the city of Białystok. E12s have also been delivered to Bulgaria, with 20 E12s delivered to the capital Sofia in December 2018 and 14 delivered to Pleven in December 2021, enabling the latter to be Bulgaria's first city with an all-electric bus fleet. An E12 demonstrator was trialled by Keolis in the French city of Orléans in 2017.
100 Yutong E12s were ordered for bus operators in Santiago de Chile in 2018, as part of a scheme seeking to electrify the city's bus network by 2050, while in Uruguay, as part of a scheme to begin replacing 150 diesel buses in the capital Montevideo, ten Yutong E12s were delivered to operators across the city in April 2020: four E12s were delivered to , three were delivered to and another three were delivered to .
Singapore's Land Transport Authority took delivery of 20 E12s as part of an order of 60 electric single-decker buses for the city in April 2020.
In Australia, the Yutong E12 has proven popular with many bus operators nationwide who opted to trial the vehicle. Nine Yutong E12s were delivered to Interline Bus Services from April 2021, a small fleet was delivered to Transit Systems NSW, and eight E12s began entering service with ACTION of Canberra from February 2023; Transport Canberra would later place orders for 90 more E12s in June 2023. E12s were also ordered by New Zealand operator Go Bus Transport, with nine delivered to Auckland for its 'Airporter' services serving Auckland Airport in January 2021 and an additional three delivered for services in Christchurch later in the year.
In Italy, three Youtong E-12 buses, all under the ownership of the same company, La Linea, located in Venice, have been involved in three distinct incidents. The initial incident occurred on June 16, 2023, and, according to the driver's statement, was a result of unresponsive brakes. No casualties were reported in this occurrence. The second incident took place on October 3, 2023, when the bus inexplicably breached the guardrail of a viaduct and plummeted 15 meters. This accident resulted in 21 fatalities and 15 injuries. On October 14, another bus from the company collided with a building pillar, causing 13 injuries. At present, all La Linea company bus services are temporarily suspended, and investigations into the second and third accidents are underway.
United Kingdom
Yutong E10s and E12s, as well as other Yutong products, have been sold in the United Kingdom through the Pelican Bus dealership in Castleford since 2018, where a new showroom and workshop for the final assembly and technical support of Yutong buses and coaches opened in January 2023. The company is also partnered with battery supplier Zenobe, who assist in installing charging infrastructure and providing new batteries for electric bus operators.