Kyotokyukou Bus Incorporated has taken delivery of 5 Long Range Battery Electric Buses from the Chinese electric carmaker BYD Company Ltd.
The delivery ceremony held was widely covered as it not only represented electrified public transportation, but also Japan, a nation built on engineering excellence, for the first time acquiring high tech vehicles from their neighbor, China.
The BYD electric buses will be operated in the former Japanese capital of Kyoto, a well known battleground for carbon emissions reduction thanks to the globally renowned Kyoto Protocol. One of Japan’s largest transit operations, Kyotokyukou Bus Inc. will take possession of the first 5 BYD Electric Buses.
During the ceremony, Sakabe Mitsuo, Director of Kyoto’s Ministry of Transportation said, “it’s a milestone for Kyoto’s public transportation to operate the pure electric buses. The BYD pure electric buses will demonstrate entirely environmentally friendly. We will do more to improve environment quality.”
BYD’s pure-electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD’s expansive 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 system. 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 250 km (155 miles) even in heavy city traffic on a single charge. The bus has completed more than 40 million kilometers of “in revenue service” and has been evaluated in many major cities all over the world.
