Brazilian Transit Operator Via Agile and Piracicaba’s Transit Authority Semuttran have started pilot testing with a pure-electric transit bus from BYD Company Ltd.
The purpose of the evaluation is to find ways to reduce transportation costs and unnecessary emissions in and around the city of Piracicaba.
With the rising cost of diesel fuel in Brazil, Semuttran currently has an average operational fuel cost of R$0.90/km (~$0.61 USD/mile) on their diesel fueled transit fleet. Their fleet travels 93,500 km (57.6 K miles) annually, so the BYD Pure Electric bus would save them R$60,775 (~$26,423 USD) each year in fuel (electricity for the eBus is R$0.25/km or ~$0.18 USD/mile).
These savings are necessary for operators as many cities in Brazil are attempting to expand their transportation footprint to meet growing demand.
“Pilot tests have been very positive – if technical and commercial performance fulfills requirements for the system in Piracicaba, the City will foster the use of electrical buses,” said Jorge Akira, secretary of Semuttran. “So far, all reports from the bus drivers have been positive. There is not much difference from a normal bus when driving, since steering, pedals and dashboards are similar,” said Alcides Ferreira, a driver who has been working for Piracicaba transit companies for 17 years.
BYD’s electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD’s staff of more than 15,000 engineers, such as the advanced, environmentally friendly Iron-Phosphate (or “Fe”) batteries, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking systems. The break-through Iron-Phosphate battery is fire-safe and non-toxic: there are no caustic materials contained in the battery, no toxic electrolytes or heavy metals and can be completely recycled.
The BYD electric bus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for public transport riders, operators and people in the community – it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus can also drive for more than 155 miles, even in heavy city traffic, on a single charge. The bus has completed more than 16 million miles of “in revenue service” and has been evaluated in many major cities all over the world.
