NORTH AMERICA BYD is providing 10 K9 electric buses to Windsor, Canada, making it the first North American city to use Chinese allelectric propulsion.
Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis signed a letter of intent to purchase the 40-foot electric buses for city transport services in an agreement which also opens talks to bring manufacturing of BYD buses to the Ontario region in the near future. Transit Windsor has the unique distinction of running in Canada as well as in Detroit, making this launch one which serves both Canadian and US roads. The BYD iron-phosphate batteries used in the K9 are claimed to be the only rechargeable battery systems that contain no heavy metals, toxic electrolytes or use caustic materials in their production.
The K9 electric bus can be fully charged in six hours offering a 186-mile range with a 60-mph top speed. Its battery can be charged to 50% capacity in just 30 minutes and features iron-phosphate batteries that can cleanly recycle its stored energy.
Once the vehicles are taken off the road in 12 to 15 years time Windsor transport authorities hope to convert them into fixed energy storage stations.
Mayor Eddie Francis said: “One of our primary goals was to position Windsor among the first cities in North America to pioneer the efficient use of electric buses within its public transit authority and to establish Windsor as a hub for the development, manufacture and commercialisation of energy products including electric buses.”
China-headquartered BYD is in the process of completing FMVSS, CMVSS, and other certification testing in North America this year with further plans for fleet sales and deliveries after the first Windsor bus deliveries.
BYD has delivered over 300 allelectric buses worldwide and has orders for over 1,300 more in 2012, making it the largest electric bus manufacturer in the world.
