New energy buses fueled with dimethyl ether (DME), which are praised for being cleaner than diesel, safer than natural gas and more convenient than hydrogen, will go into operation in Shanghai this year, said xinhuanet.com today.

International DME Association (IDA) vice chairman Huang Zhen told reporters that dimethyl ether is expected to replace diesel and LPG in the future as an alternative energy which can reduce environmental pollution effectively.

The DME bus underwent its trial operation without passengers last year in Shanghai. Within the year, the new energy buses are expected to serve in the line of Bus 147, Huang disclosed. It is reported that DME bus will be mass-produced in the coming one or two years. About 100 DME buses are expected to run on the road during 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The DME bus, different from the common diesel bus, is mainly powered with a new environmental-friendly energy dimethyl ether. The exhaust emission approaches zero according to European III standard.

China's mainland cities such as Zhang Jiagang, Guangzhou, Beijing and Nanjing are all swarming to apply for public-use DME buses. The small noise and low emission of the powerful DME buses appeal to such cities a lot, according to Huang.

As for the manufacturing cost, Huang said, DME buses take less money both in fuel cost and auto revamp cost. But, the cost reduction will depend on mass production, because new energy always need high research cost at the initial stage.