China is inviting public bids for six fuel cell buses (FCBs) for a demonstration of emission-free public transport in Beijing and Shanghai.

It's part of a US$32 million FCB commercialization project jointly launched last March by the Chinese Government, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The project aims to develop an environmentally friendly public transportation service to help the country ease the increasing pressure of energy shortages and minimize environmental pollutions.

The bids will be opened on March 18 of next year, according to Lei Yu, deputy director of the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges.

Some international automakers who have been engaged in developing fuel cell vehicles like Daimler-Chrysler and Toyota have shown interest in the project, according to sources.

Six FCBs are likely to begin demo operation in the two cities by 2005.

The knowledge and experience gained through the demo operation will enable technology suppliers to further improve technical design and cut production expenses, said Xu Jing, a senior official of the Ministry and Science and Technology.

He said the first demo FCB developed by China itself has been running for over 2,000 kilometres, but he is expecting "through the public bidding this time, we could boost the use of FCBs domestically.''

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