On Wednesday, the state-owned Electricity Institute (ICE) welcomed the donation of six electric buses from China.

The donation was made through a memorandum of understanding signed between Costa Rica and China. The document provides the general guidelines for the delivery and reception of the buses.

The donated units will not emit greenhouse gasses into the environment due to the conformation of Costa Rica’s electricity matrix.  

Particularly designed for Costa Rica, according to the authorities, this batch of electric city buses achieve high safety standards. Their interior, with ergonomically designed seats, is equipped with an LED dashboard, a radar imaging system, an advanced air-conditioning system, luggage racks for large-sized luggage, etc. 

It can drive 280 km continuously after being fully recharged. Statistics show that under normal driving conditions, each bus can cut carbon emissions by 6.72 tons each year, they said.

ICE will incorporate these units into Costa Rica’s public transportation services over the next few months.

The donation is part of the government plan for the decarbonization of the public transportation sector.

This is the second donation of electric buses from China to Costa Rica. In Feb. 2022, the ICE got six electric buses from China, as part of the then President Carlos Alvarado-Quesada plan for electric mobility and route to the decarbonization of the transportation sector by 2050.

However, in 2018 the state-owned Railways Institute purchased eight diesel-powered trains from the Chinese company CRRC Quingdao Sifang Co. for approximately $32 million.

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