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BYD Electric Bus demo at Metrotown today

BYD Electric Bus demo at Metrotown today

The BYD electric bus
The BYD electric bus

****This event has just been cancelled due to a mechanical problem with the bus. :( It may be rescheduled for tomorrow. I’ll update this post as soon as more information is available.****

This is a little late notice (sorry, I just heard about it myself!), but I thought I’d let everyone know about the BYD Electric Bus demo at Metrotown today. The Coast Mountain Bus Company regularly tests different buses and this one seems pretty cool! It will be at the Metrotown Bus Loop between 3p.m. and 3:30p.m today. It would be great to see Buzzer blog readers there! I’ll be there taking a few photos of the bus. Here’s the specs:

39’4” long
100” wide
Maximum 60 passengers
100% electric drive, in-wheel motors, proprietary “iron phosphate” (Fe) batteries.
Range: 250-300km.
Top speed: 96km/h.
Charge time: a full charge takes 6 hours.
Air Conditioning
Front, center, and rear passenger doors.
Solar panels are integrated on the roof to generate some electricity.

I’ve been told that BYD is located in Shenzhen, China, and started business in 1995 as a battery manufacturer. They are currently one of the world’s top four battery manufacturers and are #4 in Chinese car sales. Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway owns 9.9% of BYD. Also of note, the bus is currently configured to a Chinese specification, and has some missing equipment: no bike rack, no wheelchair ramp, inadequate space for wheelchairs. It is equipped with window curtains!

The back of the BYD electric bus
The back of the BYD electric bus
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