Green German bus revs up for trip to 6 Chinese cities

By Jia Cheng

It may look like a bus, but it hides an energy secret that will be touted around China through six cities.

A German-made bus with a big-screen television monitor inside, running entirely on electric power rather than gasoline, was unveiled Tuesday by the German foreign ministry and the Robert Bosch Foundation.

Its journey will start in Beijing on October 25 and last a month, taking it through six cities before ending in Shanghai. The unveiling took place at the German Embassy School in Beijing.

Education, innovation and green technology are themes of the journey.

Cornelia Pieper, minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office, attended the ceremony and said, "The modern electric caravan can be seen as a moveable classroom and cultural center, which provide a platform to promote communications between the Germany Embassy School and Chinese schools."

The electric bus runs for 500 kilometers on a single charge. It will visit Tianjin, Wuhan, Nanjing, Wuxi and Shanghai.

Alexia, a teacher at the Germany Embassy School, told the Global Times, "My students are so excited and curious about the caravan; it is quite impressive."