BYD unveils battery electric coach

The BYD coach demonstrates how quickly electric motoring is developing

BYD Motors has officially unveiled the world's first long range, 100% battery electric coach. This first electric coach, named the BYD C9, is a two-axle, 4 foot coach with the seating capacity to carry 47 people at motorway speed for over 190 miles.

Macy Neshati, BYD Coach & Bus Vice President of Sales, said: "The transportation industry is still just warming up to the idea of battery electric buses. It was exciting to walk around last year's APTA Expo in Houston and see so many reputable names displaying an electrified bus. However, I don't think anybody thought they would see a viable electric coach solution for a few more years."

The BYD C9 is the first of three 100% battery electric coaches the company will launch globally this year. The other two, a 45 foot three-axle coach named the C10 and a 23 foot coach with executive and transport configurations named the C6 will be arriving by the end of 2015, and BYD sales managers at the 2015 UMA Expo were adamant about the fact they are taking orders for all three of the coaches starting now.

Neshati said: "Last year, BYD pulled away from the competition in the transit space when they launched a 30 foot low floor bus and a 60 foot articulated bus in addition to their 40 foot bus making them the only electric bus builder with multiple offerings. This year the launch of three coaches puts BYD on a level with no other bus or coach OEM."

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Brazil’s urban transport sector to be revolutionize – BYD

BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturer, will open its first factory in Brazil this year, with the aim of revolutionizing the country’s urban transport.
Adalberto Maluf Filho, director of the company’s marketing and governmental affairs in Brazil, told Xinhua that BYD is ready to provide non-polluting buses and taxis for large cities such as Rio and Sao Paulo.
As most large Brazilian cities do not have complete subway networks — Sao Paulo, the largest city, has four subway lines while Rio has only two, public transportation faces major challenges.
The lack of rail systems has increased the demand for express bus lines and made electric buses a short-term viable option as diesel buses pollute.
BYD is part of a consortium that won a bid last week to develop a car-sharing scheme in Rio, initially with a fleet of 300 electric cars.
BYD will have an advantage as the company is familiar with the project’ s requirements, said Maluf. “Those who carried out the implementation studies will have more knowledge about it.”
BYD is establishing a factory in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, which will be operational by mid-2015. The factory will produce batteries, solar panels and assemble electric buses with imported parts.
A second factory, which will be built in Sao Paulo state or in the neighboring states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, will manufacture bus chassis locally to reduce the costs of the vehicles.
Battery cells, currently being made only in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States, will also be produced in the factory with the aim of further reducing costs.
As the battery for electric vehicles makes them more expensive than cars that use fossil fuel, BYD will offer a leasing option in Brazil by which taxi companies and drivers can get cars (without battery) at the same price they would pay for a regular car while electric buses will be offered at the same price (without battery) as diesel vehicles, and the money that would have been spent on fuel pays for the battery leasing.
“It is the best deal in the world for taxi drivers, because today they are spending both on fuel and on car payments,” Maluf said.
Several Brazilian cities have been testing BYD’s electric buses.Campinas and Sao Paulo, both in Sao Paulo state, are purchasing BYD’s electric buses, and other cities like Rio are in negotiations with the company for bus fleets.
“We expect to be able to provide a large fleet by early 2016, in time for the Olympic Games,” Maluf said.
Rio will host the Summer Olympics next year and several projects are under way to prepare the city for the event. Enditem

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