Minsk Automobile Plant. An archive photo
MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) – Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) will present an extra-large capacity articulated electrobus in the MAZ 305E third-generation body in 2026, the company’s press service told BelTA.
In April 2025 Minsk Automobile Plant, in cooperation with Itelma Group, released a unique large-capacity electrobus MAZ 303E23, which boasts virtually 100% manufacturing localization within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia through reliance on Belarusian and Russian components.
The product was created in a short period of time. In half a year it went from idea to mass production: development began in November 2024 and the first prototype was presented in March 2025. It successfully passed tests and controlled operation in St. Petersburg. This result was made possible thanks to the smooth work of a team of professionals and the strong alliance of technologies underlying the project. As early as in December 2025 a large batch of 100 electrobuses was delivered to Russia’s northern capital.
To date, this is the largest batch of mass-produced electrobuses with overnight charging that has been delivered to the Russian Federation.
The main peculiarity of the electrobus is that all components are manufactured in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. The Belarusian side was responsible for the body, electrical equipment, software, and key systems while the Russian side was responsible for telematics and the powertrain.
The vehicles are fitted with an energy-efficient battery with a driving range of at least 240km, which eliminates the need for daytime recharging at end stops. The electrobuses are designed to recharge overnight.
Andrei Savchits, director of the company’s R&D center and chief designer, noted that MAZ 303E23 components are significantly different from what Minsk Automobile Plant produced in the past. Young specialists of the R&D center took care of the design of the electrical equipment and electronic systems as well as software development. It not only significantly simplifies the product improvement process but also makes it faster and more convenient to configure and adapt the electrobus to customer requirements. The implementation of the project demonstrated the high qualifications of the specialists and allowed them to significantly expand their knowledge and competencies in new areas: battery thermostatting, heating, and cooling of the drive. Today all the kinks of the manufacturing process have been ironed out and the enterprise is capable of producing up to three MAZ 303E23 electrobuses per day.
The press service noted that MAZ, together with its partners, does not rest on its laurels and consistently expands its range of electric transport in response to the growing passenger traffic. That is why work is currently underway to create a new model: MAZ 305E. This is an articulated electrobus with a particularly large capacity in a third-generation body capable of carrying more passengers and providing an even higher level of comfort. The first prototype will be presented this year.
By the way, as per tradition the future MAZ 305E is being built on a unified framework, which allows designing various modifications based on it. It will open up the possibility of producing third-generation articulated buses, including those running on different types of fuel.
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