BYD at Transports Publics 2016 in Paris. Click to enlarge.

The heavily enhanced and Europeanized version of BYD’s 12m full size single deck bus utilizes improved battery technology, meaning that only two battery packs are necessary. This allows allowing increased passenger space in a typical European layout, improved driver visibility and reduced weight.

The 12m ebus on show in France is similar in specification to the fleet of 35 ebuses which BYD has supplied to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the first in the world to go pure electric for its airside passenger transportation. (Earlier post.)

The 12m BYD ebus is the first in a full range of BYD pure electric buses for the European market which support BYD’s ‘green city’ vision of offering electric solutions in each passenger carrying category.

RATP trial. The bus will begin operation with RATP in September this year and will run until February 2017—so spanning the extremes of hot and cold temperatures in the French capital. The trial will include operation on routes 21 and 147.

From 2020, all public transport organizations in France will have to purchase at least 50% clean vehicles in their fleet renewal plans. The Project “Bus 2025” consists of the renewal of the complete RATP fleet to clean vehicles. Several milestones are in place to achieve this by 2025 when the fleet should consist of 80% electric buses and 20% CNG buses.

The plan concerns the entire RATP bus network in Île-de-France—one of the largest in the world. It contains 350 lines and transports each year 1.1 billion passengers with a fleet consisting of 4,500 vehicles. Buses represents 50% of the carbon footprint of the RATP.

BYD’s 12m ebus, which will be used in the Paris trial, has been proven in similar pilot studies in over 150 cities worldwide, and will form Europe’s largest full size pure electric bus fleet when 51 enter service in London later this year.

BYD is in the process of introducing a full range of electric buses—ranging from an 8.6m midi bus to an 18m articulated bus and a double decker.

Capacity expansion. In China, BYD’s new commercial vehicle factory in Qingdao, Shandong province, started production last week. The facility will start with a capacity of 1,000 electric buses, rising eventually to 5,000 annually, said BYD Chairman and CEO Wang Chuanfu.

The RMB 3-billion (US$457-MILLION) plant covers 66 hectares. It will also be BYD’s Shandong headquarters; its export center for electric buses; and its R&D center.