China Unveils Comically Gigantic 85-Foot Electric Bus

Long Boy

Incredible things are happening in China: a company there has announced the release of a 26 meter — that's an astonishing 85 feet, for those who struggle with the metric system — bi-articulating bus, meaning it has two joints in the midsection like a giant caterpillar.

And the best part? It's all electric, baby.

The Zhengzhou-based company Yutong revealed photos of the behemoth this week, claiming it was a world first. The bus is set to roll out in Mexico, which is increasingly investing in public transit overhauls under its recently elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

"This bus can not only meet the pressing local demands for large-capacity and low-energy buses, but also fully consider the riding experience of passengers in Mexico," a Yutong-Mexico spokesperson said in a statement to — what else? — BusNews.com. "It will contribute to the modernization of urban public transport in Mexico and even Latin America in the future."

The Story of Bus

At 744, Mexico has the fourth-largest fleet of electric buses in Latin America, according to E-Bus Radar, the vast majority manufactured by Yutong.

The sale highlights China's push into the economies of both developed and underserved nations across the globe — trade, some research has found, that's often associated with a "substantial reduction" in moderate poverty.

Yutong's buses fit right in: after packing China to the brim with ebuses — thanks in large part to government subsidies — the company has turned its attention to global markets, now reportedly supplying over a quarter of all electric buses in Europe. (In a bigger sense, it also illustrates the explosive international growth of the Chinese auto manufacturing sector.)

Put it all together, and it's pretty embarrassing to watch from a country like the United States, which has often stifled public transit projects in favor of car-friendly infrastructure and moonshot daydreams.

More on transit: Leftists Plead With Trump Not to Build High Speed Rail System Connecting America's Major Cities

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