This Tuesday saw the delivery of the first 70 electric buses of the RED System for the commune of La Pintana, which was headed by the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, the director of Metropolitan Public Transport, Paola Tapia, and the mayor of the commune, Claudia Pizarro.

«One of the pillars of our work is to improve the quality of life of all people. Bringing electromobility and its benefits to sectors that have been left behind by development is not only making the city more sustainable, it is making it more inclusive. That is why these 70 electric buses are a clear sign of what we want to do, to strengthen public transport, to make it sustainable and above all equal for all,» said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz.

In this context, Tapia said: «Today we are beginning to settle a historic debt. Electromobility is not for some, but for all. The incorporation of these new 70 electric buses for the communes of La Pintana, Puente Alto and San Joaquín is undoubtedly a tremendous step forward given the territorial inequality we have in our capital».

Specifically, the metropolitan transport authority explained that the measure will benefit a total of 55,000 users. In addition, each machine delivered has a maximum capacity of 90 passengers.

«We are going to have these 70 buses circulating in the third quarter of this year. In total, there will be 107 additional vehicles at this stage and, day by day, we will be working to ensure that this electromobility becomes widespread and reaches our capital city and the whole country», he added.

For her part, Mayor Pizarro valued the announcement: «I thought this day would never come, and it came sooner than expected. The fact that electromobility will be available to the residents who spend more time on public transport was unexpected. I thank the authorities for thinking of the people of Pintaninos and Pintaninas».

#NoticiasDTPM🚌⚡🔌🌿Junto al Ministro @JuanCaMunozA , Subsecretario @cristpineda y nuestra directora, @PaolaTapiaSalas presentamos los buses eléctricos a la alcaldesa @ClaudiaPizarro que por primera vez llevarán la electromovilidad a la comuna de la Pintana. pic.twitter.com/y2UMAhNidn

— DTPM (@DTPMet) May 3, 2022

The all-electric Foton bus, called U12, can carry up to 90 people, 34 of them seated. It has a Low Entry access system for people with reduced mobility and, among other amenities, it has air conditioning, USB ports, electronic itineraries, wifi, security cameras and information screens.

The model is equipped with a 350 kW synchronous motor that generates a torque of 3,500 Nm. Energy is stored in a CATL lithium-ferrophosphate (LFP) battery with a capacity of 385 kWh and CCS-2 charging which in optimal conditions can be charged in just over two hours. It is also equipped with a ZF regenerative braking system with anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD).