BYD Company, Ltd. was selected to supply Europe’s largest, ZERO emissions, all-electric bus fleet.
The fleet will be used to transfer passengers between airport terminals and aircraft at one of Europe’s leading airports; the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
These 35 BYD electric buses will enter service in July of 2014 and will replace an ageing fleet of conventionally powered buses. The SUBSS Project (Sustainable Bus System of Schiphol) aims to provide a new generation of emissions-free, plane-side, transfer-vehicles to enhance the airport’s image with both the customers and the airline brands.
BYD’s pure-electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD’s 15,000 engineers including: the advanced environmentally-friendly, Iron-Phosphate (or “Fe”) batteries, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking. The break-through BYD Iron-Phosphate battery is fire-safe and non-polluting: there are no caustic materials contained in the battery, no toxic electrolytes or heavy metals and can be recycled or safely disposed of.
The BYD ebus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for the public transport riders and for bus operators – it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus achieves a superior range because it was built as a unique electric vehicle from the start and not converted from a conventional bus platform design. It features an all-aluminum frame with appropriate weight distribution with an internally developed energy recovery system (during braking).
The BYD ebus can drive for 250 km (155 miles) even in heavy city traffic after a full, 5 hour, night-time charge. The BYD ebus is a proven, full-size 12 meter (40 foot) bus which has completed more than 17 million kilometers (10.6 M miles) in revenue service and has been evaluated in many major cities across Europe.
BYD’s European headquarters in Rotterdam has been rolling out a wide range of pure-electric vehicles, including buses and taxis, all as part of its Green City Solutions program. In China, there are already over 1,000 such buses and in the first quarter of 2013 the BYD ebus obtained full European certifications. This allowed the company to start selling buses in the European markets. The Dutch province of Friesland was the first in Europe to place BYD electric buses into service. Orders have been awarded in China, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Uruguay, North and South America. The BYD electric bus has also completed successful evaluations in many European cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Budapest, Salzburg, Milan etc.
