Published on: 2026-08-20
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Sergey Sobyanin inspected the production complex and the scientific and technical center of PJSC “KamAZ” in Naberezhnye Chelny.
“By the order of the President, together with KAMAZ, we are addressing issues of technological sovereignty of our country, implementing a whole range of very serious projects. The first project is traditional municipal equipment. There are about 10 thousand vehicles of various specializations in Moscow. Now we are moving towards modern equipment, including electric vacuum equipment, and so on. A contract has been signed offset contract on the development and creation of new modern vehicles. This is a unique project related to the production of electric buses. We created this project together in 2018. And today, the electric bus that is created and produced here at KamAZ is the best in Europe. And of course, the best in our country,” said Sergey Sobyanin.
Since 2018, Government of Moscow has been the largest purchaser of vehicles produced by PJSC “KamAZ”, and the life-cycle contracts concluded by the city provide the enterprise with a stable planning horizon of 15 years ahead, which is not achievable with one-time purchases.
Moscow’s share in the total production volume of KamAZ today reaches almost 95 percent in the electric bus segment and about 60 percent in the bus segment. This makes the capital’s order systemically important for the entire group of companies of PJSC “KamAZ”, which includes more than 100 enterprises in Russia, other CIS countries, and far abroad.
“Mainly, our products go to Moscow. You are our largest consumer,” noted the head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. “Moscow is a model. There is no city like Moscow, but many of your decisions have been adopted by us, that is, Moscow is always open in all matters.”
Today, the fleet of Moscow transport and urban services in the capital operates over 15 thousand units of equipment from PJSC “KamAZ,” including more than 2.5 thousand electric buses (in addition, there are 570 LiAZ electric buses in the capital, making their total number 3.1 thousand), about 2.4 thousand buses, and more than 10 thousand communal and road vehicles.
Enterprises located in more than 30 regions of the country participate in the production of equipment for the capital — from the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan to the Kostroma, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod regions.
Development and assembly of electric buses
A stable and predictable order from Moscow allowed KamAZ to develop a new model of public transport for Russia — a city electric bus.
“Our electric buses — both the first model and the latest one — were developed by specialists from the scientific and technological center at the main production site of the enterprise in Naberezhnye Chelny. It is here that the project documentation is worked out, and promising models undergo testing and refinement before being launched into serial production,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow on his channel in
Source: Sergey Sobyanin’s channel on in the messenger “Max”
Today, the company continues to invest in the development and improvement of new generation electric buses, increases serial production of electric buses, and has also established 19 round-the-clock service centers, where more than 1,400 jobs have been created.
At the main production site of PJSC KamAZ in Naberezhnye Chelny, the first electric bus model was developed, which marked the beginning of the development of a modern and eco-friendly type of transport in Moscow in 2018, as well as all subsequent models, including the latest KamAZ-52222 electric bus of the A5 generation.
More than 1,400 employees work at the scientific and technical center. These are design engineers, testers, and specialists in electronic control systems who ensure the competitiveness of Russian equipment at the level of the best global models. The center’s territory hosts the entire range of necessary tests: checking the braking system, external noise level, reliability of units and assemblies, tuning of electronic control systems, and other resource and climatic tests.
“Moscow is a major customer, with more than 10,000 vehicles in operation. We pay very close attention to how the vehicles perform in Moscow. There is close contact regarding service, spare parts supply, and modification of vehicle designs to meet Moscow’s needs. And, probably, an extremely important issue for us is that Moscow always enters into long-term contracts. These are not one-time deliveries; rather, contracts are signed for periods of three to five years. Knowing in advance the number of vehicles to be purchased allows us to determine the investment volume for modifying cars and buses and to continue working on improving the design,” said Sergey Kogogin, CEO of PJSC KamAZ.
The long-term nature of Moscow’s order allows the scientific and technical center to plan work years in advance: to develop next generations of electric buses, invest in the testing base, and build a team of highly qualified engineers whose work would not be in such demand under one-time, non-guaranteed contracts.
The main assembly work for the serial production of electric buses is carried out by the subsidiary enterprise, PAO “NEFAZ,” in the city of Neftekamsk, Republic of Bashkortostan.
Since 2021, the enterprise completing the production cycle of the electric bus supplied by KamAZ for the capital has been the Sokolniki Car Repair and Construction Plant (SVARZ).
The SVARZ production site is leased by KamAZ from the Moscow Government (state unitary enterprise “Mosgortrans”) — this model reflects the depth of the partnership and improves coordination between the manufacturer and the operator of the equipment, allowing operational consideration of the carrier’s operational requirements at the final stage of production.
In fact, SVARZ serves as the guarantor of quality for the electric bus program: only after passing its control operations and tests is the equipment considered ready to be deployed on the route.
A machine-kit airframe arrives here from Neftekamsk, and it is here that the equipment is transformed from an industrial semi-finished product into a vehicle ready to operate on a city route with passengers.
SVARZ specialists perform about 40 percent of the final operations in assembling the electric bus, including:
— installation of traction battery packs — the key and most expensive component of the electric bus;
— installation of the cabin, climate control, and door systems;
— separate climate control settings in the passenger compartment and the driver’s cabin;
— installation and configuration of all onboard software: control systems, telematics, and multimedia;
— testing of the finished machine in a rain chamber for tightness and electrical safety;
— running-in of each electric bus before commissioning;
— the final finish of the bodywork in the unified corporate style of Moscow transport.
Thus, the city’s order connects enterprises from different regions of our country into a single technological circuit.
“Life cycle contracts provide the enterprise with a stable planning horizon for decades ahead. The manufacturer can invest in the development of new equipment models and capacity expansion, creating more jobs. As a result, transport engineering develops—ensuring Russia’s technological sovereignty in this crucial industry,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow.
Source: Sergey Sobyanin’s channel on in the messenger “Max”
Government of Moscow plans to purchase city transportation for years ahead. The contracts stipulate not only delivery but also full service maintenance of the equipment throughout the entire service life: 15 years for electric buses and seven years for buses. This provides the manufacturer with confidence in order volumes and allows investment in the development of new equipment models and capacity expansion.
Under the current contract for 2026–2027, KamAZ will supply 700 generation A5 electric buses to Moscow, and from 2027 to 2030, the delivery of more than two thousand electric buses and over 700 buses is planned — with the conclusion of new long-term contracts for service maintenance. This planning horizon is established in Moscow’s transport development strategy until 2030, approved by Sergey Sobyanin.
Evolution of the electric bus
Domestic electric buses are among the most advanced in the world in terms of equipment. This is the result of the constant implementation of modern solutions and services. Every few years, vehicles with improved configurations arrive in Moscow — even more comfortable and safer for passengers’ journeys.
Thus, the 2018 model electric bus could travel 40–50 kilometers on a single charge — at that time, this was a respectable figure. Among the important innovations were mechanical buttons for targeted door opening. The vehicle also had a fuel-powered cabin heater, the traction battery capacity was 80 kilowatt-hours with a battery weight of 1.5 tons, and the cabin accommodated 85 passengers.
Among the advantages of KamAZ-52222 electric buses for deliveries in 2025 and 2026:
— a range of up to 100 kilometers (this is about twice that of the 2018 model). In the future, the new electric bus models are planned to be equipped with a battery from the Moscow gigafactory “Renera,” which will provide a range of up to 150 kilometers;
— traction battery capacity of 201 kilowatt-hours (2.3 times more than the 2018 model);
— improved climate control system with electric cabin heaters;
— an air curtain when doors are opened to maintain a comfortable microclimate inside the cabin;
— touch buttons for opening the doors;
— route indicator increased by 18 percent;
— adaptive interior lighting that automatically changes from a cool shade to a warm one for passenger comfort;
— modified door design (now when opened, they remain outside the cabin and do not take up space inside);
— door light indicators (green and red colors) inform about the start and end of boarding;
— a checked luggage area increased by 15 percent and carry-on baggage spaces;
— a new type of current collector device — a contact rail, which allowed reducing the weight of the vehicle and increasing the range;
— separate climate control regulation in the passenger compartment and driver’s cabin;
— a modernized ergonomic driver’s seat.
|
Parameter |
KamAZ-6282, deliveries of 2018 |
KamAZ-52222 A5, deliveries in 2026 |
|
Range |
55 m |
up to 100 km |
|
Traction battery capacity |
80 kWh |
201 kWh (2.3 times more) |
|
Battery weight |
1.5 tons |
1.5 tons — weight has not changed since 2018 |
|
Cabin heating |
fuel heater |
cabin electric heaters |
|
Cabin capacity |
85 places, 30 seats |
85 places, 35 seats, the accumulation area is larger by 15 percent |
Thus, the electric bus’s range nearly doubled, while the weight of the traction battery remained unchanged—1.5 tons.
This means that the entire increase in driving range was achieved not by increasing the weight of the electric bus, but solely through improvements in energy efficiency and battery energy density, that is, thanks to actual technological progress rather than a compromise with the vehicle’s weight and, accordingly, its maneuverability and safety on city streets.
Low-floor electric buses are fully adapted for transporting passengers with limited mobility. Inside the cabin, there is a fold-down ramp and driver call buttons. Bicycles, strollers, or large luggage can be placed on the storage platform. USB slots are installed for charging gadgets. Media screens display current information about upcoming stops and possible transfers. A climate control system maintains an optimal temperature inside the cabin, and for passenger safety, the vehicle is equipped with video cameras both outside and inside.
An impetus for the development of transport engineering and related industries
Moscow’s long-term order for electric buses and buses stimulates the development not only of transport engineering but also of a number of related sectors of the domestic industry — from electrochemistry and microelectronics to the chemical, glass, rubber-technical, and polymer industries. Today, the share of Russian equipment and components in electric buses is almost 95 percent, and the suppliers’ production facilities are located in Dimitrovgrad, Kostroma, Neftekamsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, and the Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, and Moscow regions.
“Moscow’s order connects enterprises from different regions of Russia into a single technological circuit. This is an example of how long-term partnership becomes a growth point for the industry of our entire country,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow on his channel in the messenger “Max.”
Source: Sergey Sobyanin’s channel on in the “Max” messenger
For example, the purchase of electric buses for the capital created a stable order for the production of traction batteries for the first time in the country’s history. Their production is localized in special economic zone “Technopolis Moscow” in Pechatniki. By the end of 2026, a new gigafactory will open in TiNAO — LLC “Renera” (Rosatom Group) — one of the largest enterprises in the country producing next-generation traction batteries, where 1,300 highly skilled jobs will be created. The enterprise will cover about two-thirds of the total demand of the Russian traction battery market. The new battery of the Moscow gigafactory “Renera” will increase the capacity of the electric bus battery by another 30 percent and extend the range to 150 kilometers (while the battery weight remains the same).
In addition, the metropolitan order stimulates the production of onboard electronics, telematics, and multimedia systems. In particular, this area is handled by LLC “Research and Production Enterprise ‘Itelma'” in Moscow and Kostroma, as well as LLC “Trading House ‘Autoelectroapparatus'” in Naberezhnye Chelny.
The production of plastic interior and body elements, floor coverings, and other polymer components is provided, among others, by LLC “Avtoplast” in Neftekamsk. Glazing for electric buses is manufactured by LLC “Steklo-Lyuks” in the city of Bor, Nizhny Novgorod region. Door seals, cable, and electrical products are created, in particular, by LLC “Prettl-NK” in Nizhnekamsk, while seats for the interior are produced by LLC “Scientific-Production Association ‘Rostar'” in Naberezhnye Chelny. Thus, Moscow’s transport program is a systemic driver for ensuring Russia’s technological sovereignty.
Utility and road machinery of PJSC KamAZ for Moscow
Starting from 2011 Moscow’s urban infrastructure complex actively uses equipment produced by PJSC “KamAZ” in its work. Over these years, the capital has purchased more than 10 thousand units of machinery — 35 percent of the city’s fleet of special municipal equipment. Including:
— 3,789 units of harvesting equipment (mechanical and large vacuum sweeping machines, fence-washing machines, multifunctional machines on automotive chassis);
— 3039 units of export equipment;
— 1,236 units of auxiliary equipment (emergency service vehicles, auto pumps, aerial work platforms, simple flatbed trucks and those with crane manipulators, cargo vans, vacuum trucks, tow trucks);
— 1753 units of other equipment (tank trucks, generators, laboratories, machines for high-pressure washing of engineering structures and fences, sewer cleaning machines, pumping stations, fire equipment, fuel tankers, tractors, as well as garbage trucks: bunker trucks, manipulators, multilifts, transport vehicles, and fauna);
— 279 units of road construction machinery (concrete mixers, bitumen sprayers, joint sealers, pavers, cranes, drilling and crane machines, full-turn excavators);
— 68 units of equipment for transporting employees (buses and passenger vans).
In 2024, the State Budgetary Institution “Automobile Roads” signed a contract with LLC “Innovative Special Equipment Plant”, whose founder is PJSC “KamAZ”, for the supply of 1,580 units of small vacuum cleaning equipment by 2030. In 2024–2026, 328 machines were delivered under this contract.
Currently, together with the enterprise, additional configurations of small cleaning machines with water tanks or specialized cleaning fluid, a front bucket, and side brushes are being developed for the city’s needs in order to perform various technological operations.
In addition, PJSC KamAZ has developed a new model of a medium-sized dump truck based on the KamAZ “Compass-9” chassis with electric drive, which can be used when working on tiled surfaces and courtyard areas. This model has a number of advantages, such as higher payload capacity, shorter overall length, and a one-piece frame construction.
In order to reduce the amount of manual labor in performing technological operations for cleaning and maintaining courtyard areas, PJSC “KamAZ” is developing a model of a universal compact electric platform with the capability to perform the following functions: transporting cargo and tools, rotary snow tossing, washing surfaces and facades, distributing reagents, and lawn mowing.
PAO “KamAZ” plans to create a unified service center for the repair and maintenance of vehicles, as well as the production of various electrically powered equipment: aerial platforms, technical machines, and repair brigade vehicles.
One of the country’s largest engineering clusters
PJSC “KamAZ”, founded in the late 1960s, is one of the largest engineering clusters in Russia, producing about two thousand units of passenger transport and 40 thousand units of freight transport annually.
At the main industrial site in Naberezhnye Chelny, there are foundry and forging plants, an engine plant, a press-frame plant, an automobile plant, a repair and tool plant, a spare parts and components plant, a bridge plant, and the “Master” industrial park.
Among the largest subsidiaries of KamAZ are PJSC “NEFAZ” and PJSC “Tuymazy Concrete Mixer Plant” in Bashkortostan, as well as PJSC “Tutaev Motor Plant” in the Yaroslavl region.
Overall, the PJSC “KamAZ” group unites more than 100 companies across Russia, other CIS countries, and distant foreign countries. The production of each electric bus for Moscow passes through three key links in this chain: development in Naberezhnye Chelny, serial body assembly in Neftekamsk, and final assembly in Moscow.
Without Moscow’s order, Russia would not have had the best electric bus in the country and in Europe
It was precisely the demanding and long-term technical specification from the Moscow Government—with the city’s active participation in its development—that enabled the domestic manufacturer to create the KamAZ-52222 generation A5 electric bus: the range increased from 55 to 100 kilometers, the capacity of the traction batteries grew 2.3 times with the same battery weight, and there appeared an improved climate control system and adaptive cabin lighting.
The technical readiness coefficient of Moscow’s electric buses is the highest in the world: manufacturers guarantee 95 percent operability of the equipment over 15 years. This result was only possible thanks to the combination of a long-term order, strict quality requirements, and life-cycle contracts — a model that Moscow has been systematically building since 2018 and without which domestic transport engineering would have no incentive to create world-class equipment.
Key figures
— over 3,100 modern electric buses of Russian production operate in Moscow on more than 300 routes;
— more than 2,500 electric buses and about 2,400 buses have been delivered by KamAZ for Moscow from 2018 to 2026;
— more than 100 thousand new jobs have been created in the regions of Russia thanks to the order for electric buses;
— enterprises from more than 30 regions of Russia participate in the production of components;
— Moscow saves 400 thousand liters of diesel fuel per day thanks to the largest fleet of electric buses in Russia;
— 95 percent — the technical readiness rate of electric buses over 15 years, the highest figure in the world;
— almost 95 percent — Moscow’s share in KamAZ’s order for electric buses; about 60 percent — in the order for buses;
— The city has purchased more than 10 thousand units of KamAZ utility and road equipment since 2011 — this accounts for 35 percent of the entire city’s special equipment fleet;
— 1,580 units of small vacuum cleaning equipment will be supplied by LLC “Innovative Special Equipment Plant” (founder — PJSC “KamAZ”) by 2030; 328 units have already been delivered in 2024–2026.
Find out how the capital has changed over recent years, what initiatives that make citizens’ lives even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its residents in the near future in a large-scale special project on the portal mos.ru, dedicated to the development of key sectors of Moscow. These include transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector.
Project “Transport” will be of interest to everyone who wants to learn about the main stages of development in this field, the support for electric transport, and the development of the route network.
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Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.