China’s BYD has delivered another 406 electric buses to Bogota, taking the number operating in the Colombian capital to 1,048, and booked a new order for 48 to operate in five Hungarian cities.
Bogota mayor Claudia Lopez said: “This is an effort by the private sector in Bogota and Colombia and various international companies that are helping us to modernise our transportation system in the city.”
Of the 406 latest new buses, 271 are nine metre models with capacity for 50 passengers and 135 units are 12 metre with a capacity for 80 passengers, serving 14 routes.
BYD claims putting the 406 into use reduces emissions by 6.5 tonnes of particulate matter and 17,000 tonnes of CO2. By the end of 2022, once the entire fleet of 1,472 BYD electric buses is operating, the reduction will be 94,300 tonnes of CO2 per year, claimed to be the equivalent of taking 42,000 private cars out of circulation in the city.
Lara Zhang, regional director of BYD Latin America, said, “This new batch of electric buses will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the town of Fontibon and the southwestern areas of Bogota, which are among the areas worst affected by pollution from fixed and mobile sources.”
Meanwhile, Volanbusz Zrt, Hungary’s largest public transport operator, has ordered 48 12-metre low-entry eBuses.
The buses are scheduled for delivery later this year and represent the Hungarian company’s largest BYD eBus order to date. The buses will operate in Gyor, Zalaegerszeg, Szolnok, Szeged and Eger.
Volanbusz Zrt has previously bought two 12-metre eBuses, one of which was delivered to Salgotarjan in 2018 and the other to Komarom in 2021 where it introduced cross border electric bus services across the Danube River to neighbouring Komarno in Slovakia.
BYD has a bus factory in Hungary.
All buses on order will be built locally at that factory in Komarom where, last year, production capacity was increased to 400 units on single shift working.
The 12-metre eBus is BYD’s best-selling model in Europe with over 1,000 units operating in Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary.
Its 343kWh iron phophate battery capacity delivers a 300km (200 miles) driving range on a single charge.