to run 250 km on a single charge in
urban conditions
URUGUAY The Uruguayan President José Mujica recently signed a contract with Chinese manufacturer BYD and Buquebus to begin bringing 500 electric buses to Uruguay.
Buquebus is the largest tourism transport company in Uruguay, carrying more than 2m passengers in Argentina and Uruguay each year by boat and bus.
The first vehicles are due to be delivered before end of the year with a target of having over 500 buses on the road by 2015.
Speaking at a signing ceremony in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, President Muijca said: “I’m delighed Uruguay will have this environmentally friendly technology. I’m looking forward to seeing electric buses in this country as we are very devoted to the protection of the environment.”
Carlos Lopez Mena, President of Buquebus, added: “I am ready to invest heavily in a natural Uruguay – I will replace my whole tourism fleet with new energy buses.”
BYD’s Senior Business Director Stanley Lin Tang said: “Uruguay is an important tourism market yet it imports all of its petroleum. Promoting electric buses not only contributes to environmental protection and economic recovery, but it also improves Uruguay’s energy security.”
The BYD GreenCity buses which Buquebus and its partner CTS are purchasing are able to run 250 km (155 miles) on a single charge in urban conditions, with an energy consumption of less than 130 kWh per 100 km. BYD buses have been in service in four Chinese cities and had accumulated over 7.4m kilometres (or 4.56m miles) by the end of June 2012.
