Association Exploration: Zhongtong Bus: Green Intelligence Leads the Future of Transportation
As one of the earliest domestic bus manufacturers and listed bus companies, Zhongtong Bus Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongtong Bus Co., Ltd.")After more than 60 years of wind and rain baptism and years of accumulation, Zhongtong Bus has the world's leading bus research and development technology and production process, with a strong production capacity of 30000 large, medium and light buses per year. It has accumulated production and sales of more than 300000 buses, and its products have been sold in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. Its position in the field of bus manufacturing is crucial, and it has grown into the backbone of the industry, becoming a beautiful business card for China's bus industry to go global.
The long wind sends autumn geese for thousands of miles, which can be enjoyed in high-rise buildings——In the season of cool autumn breeze, Su Hongxing, Secretary General of Shandong Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association, and his delegation visited this industry benchmark located on the banks of the Tuohai River to exchange and inspect projects and technologies with relevant responsible persons of the enterprise.
Qi Honglei, President of the Bus Research Institute of the company, introduced that Zhongtong Bus has always adhered to the innovation driven development strategy, relying on the nationally recognized enterprise technology center, postdoctoral research workstationCNAS accredited laboratory, national industrial design centerShandong Province Key Laboratory of New Energy Commercial Vehicle Safety and Energy Conservation (preparatory)We are committed to conducting in-depth research on bus safety, energy conservation, and new energy technologies through multiple innovative platforms such as academician workstations, and in collaboration with well-known domestic universities and research institutes. This persistent pursuit of innovation has yielded fruitful results. As of now, the companyThe company has valid patents 502 items, participated inRevision of 97 national, industry, local, and group standardsUndertake the responsibility of the country19 national and provincial key research and development projects, including the "863" project, the National New Energy Vehicle Innovation Project, and the National Key R&D Project, have effectively promoted the technological progress of the entire industry. With outstanding innovation capabilities and excellent product quality, Zhongtong Bus has won more than 100 authoritative honors such as the National Science and Technology Progress Award, National Quality Benchmark, Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Progress First Prize, and Shandong Provincial Governor's Quality Award, demonstrating its leading position in the industry. In the first half of 2025, the company achieved a revenue of 3.941 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 43.02%; The performance in overseas markets is particularly outstanding, with a year-on-year increase of 1134% in new energy exports. These numbers, like jumping notes, play the march of Chinese manufacturing towards the world.
The 5.5-27-meter highway passenger transport, bus, tourist bus, group commuting, high-end business, school bus, special vehicle and other product series, with more than 140 varieties, can smoothly travel on the streets of bustling cities and remote county roads in China, fully meeting the diverse needs of different customers and scenarios. With advanced technology, reliable product quality, and a comprehensive after-sales service system, Zhongtong Bus is highly favored in the international market. Zhongtong Bus, designed with European cultural elements, has become the largest supplier of new energy buses in 11 important cities in Portugal, including Porto and Lisbon, with a market share of over 50%; The Chilean President personally attended the delivery ceremony of 895 N-series pure electric buses, which became a major event in the local transportation sector; Zhongtong Bus has built the first domestic pure electric bus operation line for Argentina, helping new energy buses take root and sprout in Argentina; In the Egyptian Pyramid Scenic Area and Singapore, Zhongtong pure electric buses provide a new choice for public transportation and sightseeing tourism markets; In 2025, the company successfully won the bid for 91 bus orders in Dubai, including 40 pure electric buses, setting a record for the largest batch of pure electric bus orders in the UAE; In South Korea, Germany, Paraguay, Hungary..., from developed countries to the the Belt and Road and emerging markets, there are Zhongtong buses shuttling everywhere.
As one of the earliest enterprises in China to carry out research and development of new energy buses, Zhongtong Bus has made significant breakthroughs in the fields of hybrid power, plug-in hybrid power, pure electric, electric hybrid, and extended range pure electric through continuous exploration and innovation. It has fully mastered core technologies such as electromechanical coupling drive system, motor and controller, lithium-ion battery and its management system, high-voltage safety protection, electromagnetic interference protection, network control, etc., and has overcome difficulties in the integration and matching of drive system with bus chassis and body, production process, engineering, quality control, and maintenance technology. It has developed a coaxial parallel electromechanical coupling drive system powertrain and vehicle products with distinctive technical route characteristics, compact structure, light weight, high reliability, durability, and oil saving. It has been applied in batches both domestically and internationallyMore than 90 cities have demonstrated significant energy-saving effects in their operation, winning unanimous recognition from experts and society.
Entering the exhibition hall of Zhongtong Bus, it feels like entering a laboratory of future transportation. National certified enterprise technology center, national industrial design center, etcSeven major research platforms and top R&D talents in the industry gather here. In the first half of 2025, the company's R&D investment reached 125 million yuan, which is being transformed into technological breakthroughs that drive the industry forward, witnessing the magnificent transformation of China's bus industry from manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing. In 2020, when most people were still unfamiliar with the concept of intelligent driving, Zhongtong had already completed the new generation L3The development of intelligent driving buses not only has advanced functions such as super cruise control, traffic light recognition, and path planning,Its latest research and developmentL3+level12 metersPure electric intelligent driving busNormalized operation has been achieved in Jinan, becoming a flowing technological landscape on the city streets.The complete solution of "smart road+smart bus+cloud control platform" enables Zhongtong Bus to build a three-dimensional intelligent transportation ecosystem. The second generation intelligent driving bus has completed testing in open road scenarios, with an operating mileage of over 30000 kilometers and successfully carrying more than 5000 passengers. Behind these numbers is Zhongtong's persistent pursuit of technological innovation and solemn commitment to travel safety.
The road is like a blue sky, and our generation is lingyun. From traditional bus manufacturing to green intelligent travel leader, Zhongtong bus has completed a magnificent turn from follower to leader in a round of time. Those Zhongtong buses running around the world not only carry people's travel dreams, but also convey the temperature and wisdom made in China.
Looking to the future, Zhongtong Bus will upholdThe corporate vision of "building a world-class green intelligent bus and strong enterprise", with science and technology as the sail, green as the rudder, internationalization and new energy as the strategic wings, along the track of "Belt and Road Initiative", to a broader world, in the desert roads of the Middle East, the vast grasslands of Africa, the urban streets of Asia, and even the high-end markets of Europe and the United States!
text Guo Guangli/Tu Su Hongxing, Enterprise Website
