KMB Announces Latest Environmental Achievements of Bus Fleet
KMB has always been committed to environmental protection, especially in improving the performance of the engines of its bus fleet to give a better emission quality. Last year, KMB once again improved on its environmental performance. Compared with emission levels in 1992, KMB has successfully reduced the average particulate emission levels of its bus fleet by 85.8% (as at the first quarter of 2010).
KMB introduced four Euro V buses last year, including Hong Kong’s first Euro V two-axle E-friendly bus, which was introduced in December 2009. Meanwhile, the number of Euro IV buses has dramatically increased from four in 2008 to 83 at present.
At the end of March 2010, KMB had a total of 3,906 buses, all of them meeting the stringent exhaust emission standards of the European Council of Environmental Ministers. Besides running buses equipped with Euro IV and Euro V engines, KMB has upgraded 1,735 Euro II and Euro III buses to achieve near Euro IV-standard emissions in terms of particulate matter. The number of buses achieving Euro III-standard emissions is 362. In addition, catalytic converters have been installed on 1,434 buses with Euro I engines and 288 buses with pre-Euro engines, bringing their exhaust emissions up to the standards of Euro II and Euro I engines respectively in terms of particulate matter.
Mr. Kane Shum, KMB's Principal Engineer, said, "Up till now, the performance of the four Euro V buses has satisfied our requirements and the results are encouraging in terms of both environmental effectiveness and engine performance.”
Compared with Euro III engines, Euro IV engines excel in every aspect of emission performance. The emission of particulate matter of the Euro IV engine is reduced from 0.1 gram to 0.02 gram (in terms of kilowatts per hour), a reduction of 80% compared to the Euro III engine. Emissions of nitrogen oxides are reduced by 30%, from 5 grams to 3.5 grams, while emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are also reduced by nearly 30%, from 2.1 grams to 1.5 grams, and 0.66 gram to 0.46 gram, respectively. By effectively reducing the emissions of nitrogen oxides by 43% in comparison with Euro IV engines, the Euro V engine meets the latest and toughest emission standards in the world.
Mr. Kane Shum added, "Besides introducing buses with advanced E-friendly engines, since 2006, KMB has decided to install Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) on Euro II and Euro III buses with the aim of upgrading their exhaust emissions to Euro IV / V standards in terms of particulate matter. This enables us to upgrade the emission levels of a large number of buses within a short time in a cost effective way. The entire project will be completed this year. By then, the emissions of most of the Euro II and Euro III buses in the KMB bus fleet will be upgraded to Euro IV / V standards in terms of particulate matter, and the average particulate emission levels of the entire KMB bus fleet will be reduced by 90% compared with 1992."
Besides introducing the latest environment-friendly engines to its bus fleet, KMB has been adopting innovative technologies in other areas with the aim of achieving better results in emissions and fuel savings. Since 2001, KMB's entire fleet has been using ultra-low sulphur diesel which contains only 0.005% sulphur. In 2008, KMB took a further step forward by adopting “Euro V Diesel”, which has only 0.001% sulphur content and in 2009, this Near Zero Sulphur Diesel was adopted fleetwise. Besides directly improving the emissions of buses, NZSD also enhances the effectiveness of catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters, thus indirectly improving the emission levels of buses of different ages. The Eco-Driveline system developed by KMB has also proved effective in reducing fuel consumption, cutting exhaust emissions by 6-10%. With regard to bus captains, KMB provides them with training on “eco-driving” and promotes good practices such as switching off idling engines, with the aim of bringing about a cleaner environment in Hong Kong.
Mr. Shum added, “KMB understands the potential environmental impacts associated with its services and is dedicated to improving the environmental performance of its buses. With the continuous replacement of old buses and the completion of the installation of DPFs on our earlier buses, we will further enhance the environmental performance of our bus fleet and help bring about a cleaner and quieter Hong Kong.”