BYD has delivered new buses to two operators in Norway: Unibuss has taken delivery of 23 new 12-metre eBuses, whilst Vy Buss has received its first 15, marking the start of a major fleet renewal.
In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, Unibuss operates more than half of the city’s electric bus fleet. An official hand-over of its vehicles took place in the Norwegian capital with Øystein Svendsen, CEO of Unibuss, and a representative from Ruter, the local Public Transport Authority, in attendance. The new Unibuss buses will go into service on several routes in Vestre Aker and Bærum Øst in and around Oslo.
“Oslo’s public transport system is switching-on to electric mobility,” said Unibuss CEO, Øystein Svendsen, “and Unibuss is at the forefront of the change. This latest BYD fleet will deliver a significant reduction in our carbon footprint, and we will look to introduce electric power on even more routes across the city in future. The BYD eBus fleet,” he said, “offers our passengers transport in and around Oslo which is safe, quiet, comfortable and, of course, 100% emissions free.”
“We’re starting to ramp-up our customer deliveries,” said BYD Europe Managing Director, Isbrand Ho, “and we’re starting to see signs of increased activity in the market. It’s Public Transport Authorities like Ruter, and operators like Unibuss, that are leading the charge towards emissions-free, pure-electric public transport, and we’re very pleased to be producing products which they, and their passengers, feel is a long-term solution to safe, clean, sustainable public transport.”
Vy Buss has taken delivery of its first 15 eBuses from BYD, marking the first of a fleet renewal programme comprising 55 eBuses, including eight 13-metre rigid and seven 18-metre articulated buses. The official handover ceremony was attended by Ole Engebret Moe Haugen, Vy Buss CEO, and Arild Nylend, Vy Buss Area Director. The vehicles go into service in Haugesund city centre, on routes 201 and 202.
Vy Buss is the customer to take delivery of the latest 13-metre model variant: BYD’s new Class II 13-metre eBus benefits from an upgraded battery to deliver extended range and ‘city-to-city’ capability. A new and highly efficient CO2 air conditioning system further reduces energy consumption, particularly in cold temperatures.
“We’re delighted to be introducing BYD’s Class II 13-metre eBus into our fleet,” said Ole Engebret Haugen, CEO at Vy Buss, “Together, we create a more sustainable environment and increase the safety of passengers and other road users. This is good news for Vy Buss and it’s good news for our clients.”
BYD says it now has almost 300 on order or delivered to Scandinavian operators, and excess of 1300 units across Europe.