As I wrote last week, BYD was the only company that met Barcelona’s specifications for an electric bus pilot program in the city. The company is clearly a leader in the electric bus realm. A couple of recent announcements further that point.
Praise From Los Angeles
Firstly, Los Angeles area transit officials recently gave praise to BYD’s electric buses, stating:
BYD’s bus’s electric clean air technology is silent, efficient, and can be used anywhere there is standard AC power. This technology is specially designed to be used by transit authorities without changing the way they operate. The superior longer life and safer Iron-Phosphate BYD battery will last for the entire bus life – making the total cost of ownership less than a conventional air-polluting bus. Once a bus-life is over, and the bus is retired (usually about 12 years), the BYD-type batteries will be available for re-use for another 20 years, in non-transportation uses such as at home and in electrical utilities.
“The technology of this BYD bus system is truly break-through, especially the battery, which is long-lasting and safe and is superior to any competitor alternative that I know of,” LA Authority Manager Hunt added.
Electric Bus Deals In Brazil & Elsewhere
Thanks to its market-leading position, BYD has just won an electric bus contract down in São Paulo, Brazil. Following a successful pilot program, the city has ordered 2 BYD electric buses for normal operation. “Our tests were designed to demonstrate the performance of the e-bus running on the streets of Sao Paulo, such as its braking performance and so on. The electric bus was filled with a weight equivalent to a full load of passengers and run on bus lanes and other designed lines in Sao Paulo,” said João Carlos Fagundes, SP Transit Engineering Division Manager.
Here’s a bit more about how and where the buses will be used:
The buses will be integrated along with 20 current buses operating on Line 509M. This corridor is known as the “Smart Bus” route and hosts amenities such as a WiFi network, news broadcasting, and a smart route maps and information system, making this one of the most technologically advanced bus services in the world. In the second phase, SPTransit will implement a Second Swing Passenger Door version of the bus to accommodate multiple fare collection options as well as reducing load/unload time by 38%. This system integrates 73 buses from 7 different lines of different shapes and sizes including a double-decker model and an articulated model. With SPTransit leading the way in new public transit solutions, and BYD leading the way in battery-electric bus technology, this deal is a match made to change the way the world sees transportation.
Aside from the São Paulo deal, BYD has been awarded three other contracts within the past year, contracts for:
- 10 electric buses for Long Beach, California (potentially more down the road);
- up to 25 electric buses for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA);
- 2 buses to Antelope Valley Transit Authority in Lancaster, California.
Notably, Warren Buffet is a major investor in BYD.