{"id":616,"date":"2026-07-11T21:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/2026\/07\/11\/first-ebusco-3-0-electric-bus-built-by-golden-dragon-completed-in-china\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T21:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:01:13","slug":"first-ebusco-3-0-electric-bus-built-by-golden-dragon-completed-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/2026\/07\/11\/first-ebusco-3-0-electric-bus-built-by-golden-dragon-completed-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"First Ebusco 3.0 electric bus built by Golden Dragon completed in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 7, the first Ebusco 3.0 electric bus with a carbon-fibre-reinforced composite body to be produced at Golden Dragon\u2019s Longhai plant in Fujian province, China, ceremonially rolled off the assembly line. As part of the event, the two companies also signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Ebusco, which in recent times has positioned itself more as a bus developer than a bus manufacturer, has been struggling for years with capacity problems and the resulting financial difficulties, and appears to have found a manufacturing partner with sufficiently high production volumes in Golden Dragon \u2014 a move that also marks a return to the brand\u2019s roots.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using technologies derived from the aerospace industry, the carbon-fibre-reinforced composite-bodied Ebusco 3.0 caused a sensation worldwide when it was unveiled in 2019<\/a>, thanks to its incredibly low kerb weight (more than 30% lower than that of its competitors), traction batteries integrated into the floor, a rear axle fitted with extra-wide \u201csuper single\u201d tyres, and a spacious passenger compartment. For precisely this reason, unlike the more conventional Ebusco 2.2 family, which remained in the range in parallel, initial plans did not include production outside Europe. However, the Dutch company\u2019s strained financial situation<\/a> overrode the original concept: in 2023, manufacturing difficulties forced Ebusco to bring in external partners, with the result that Ebusco 3.0 electric buses were also being assembled in China from the end of that year, while the production of certain body panels was likewise outsourced to external partners. According to the company\u2019s 2025 annual report, a significant share of Ebusco 3.0 production is now carried out by contract partners, mainly in China, while under Ebusco\u2019s new business concept<\/a>, design and pre-delivery inspection have remained in Europe. Golden Dragon had not previously appeared officially on the list of named contract manufacturers, but the latest press event points to a serious commitment.<\/p>\n

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Ceremonial ribbon-cutting before the test run of the first Ebusco 3.0 produced by Golden Dragon<\/p><\/div>\n

According to the specialist portal chinabuses.org<\/em>, which was the first to report the news, Golden Dragon\u2019s modern Longhai production facility primarily serves more demanding export markets, so it is no coincidence that the first Ebusco 3.0 electric bus produced by the company was also built at this plant. The symbolically important vehicle is an 18-metre articulated example destined for a European market \u2014 judging by its livery, presumably for M\u00e9tropole Rouen Normandie<\/a>. Once it reaches its destination, it will first undergo comprehensive testing, after which the partners hope it will serve as evidence of the results of global cooperation in supporting the transition to zero-emission mobility. Representatives of the French customer also attended the ceremony, alongside senior executives from Golden Dragon and Ebusco.<\/p>\n

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Judging by its paint scheme, the bus is expected to enter service in the Rouen area of France<\/p><\/div>\n

According to the remarks made at the event, the completion of the vehicle marks the beginning of the latest chapter in the cooperation between the two companies, which has been in place since 2012. Around a decade and a half ago, Ebusco began its activities in the European electric bus market with modified versions of Golden Dragon models: the Ebusco 1.0, introduced in the early 2010s, and the subsequent Ebusco 2.0 and 2.1 models all used bodies supplied by the Chinese manufacturer. According to chinabuses.org\u2019s on-site report, the parties intend to deepen their cooperation and are thinking not in terms of a one-off project, but of a long-term, sustainable partnership ranging from product manufacturing to the alignment of the entire value chain and the sustained serving of the market. Ebusco is expected to contribute to success with its in-depth market knowledge, innovative design capabilities and extensive European customer relationships, while Golden Dragon, which has experience in delivering complex projects, will provide mature vehicle manufacturing technology, stable quality assurance and the ability to leverage the strength of China\u2019s bus-industry supply chain. Also participating in the initiative are Gotion, the likewise Chinese supplier of the vehicles\u2019 traction batteries and a minority shareholder in Ebusco, as well as Zhongfu Membranes & Water Technology. According to the official communication, the goal is to create a more open, more efficient and greener ecosystem for the alternative-driveline bus industry.<\/p>\n

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Lai Zhiyi, CEO of Golden Dragon (left), and Peter Bijvelds, founder of Ebusco (right), immediately after signing the cooperation agreement<\/p><\/div>\n

Peter Bijvelds<\/strong>, founder of Ebusco, told chinabuses.org that they chose Golden Dragon because, on the one hand, the company operates one of the most advanced high-capacity plants geared to electric bus production, and on the other, it is capable of meeting Ebusco\u2019s quality requirements in every respect. An unnamed representative of Golden Dragon summed up their plans to the portal as follows: \u201cWe believe that the coordinated support of innovative European design, high-tech Chinese manufacturing and partners in the global industrial supply chain will result in even stronger cooperation. As long as we keep customers\u2019 needs in focus, take quality as our benchmark and are driven by innovation, we will be able to put this project on solid foundations, make it successful and sustainable in the long term, and create even greater value in the global public transport market.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos: chinabuses.org<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On July 7, the first Ebusco 3.0 electric bus with a carbon-fibre-reinforced composite body to be produced at Golden Dragon\u2019s Longhai plant in Fujian province, China, ceremonially rolled off the assembly line. As part of the event, the two companies also signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Ebusco, which in recent times has positioned itself more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,6],"tags":[490,140,491,486,149,487,488,489,99],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abroad","category-news","tag-china","tag-collaboration","tag-composite","tag-contract-manufacturing","tag-ebusco","tag-ebusco-3-0","tag-ebusco-3-0-18m","tag-golden-dragon","tag-manufacturing"],"acf":{"mbi_related_box_multiple":"","mbi_gallery_enabled":true,"mbi_gallery_manual_order":"compact","mbi_gallery_source":"in_article","mbi_gallery_images":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magyarbusz.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}