LA Metro Takes Delivery of First Zero-Emissions Electric Buses

BYD's 40-foot All-electric buses were built entirely in California

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Apr 30, 2015, 09:55 ET

LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has officially taken delivery of their first 5 battery electric transit buses from BYD. LA Metro, known in the transit community as the Nation's first clean-air fleet with their conversion to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transit buses, is now also the first major transit property in the US to begin electrifying their fleet with truly zero-emissions buses. These 40-foot buses are built by local Southern California Electric Vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors, and will be direct integrated into their daily operations, as the buses are capable of driving more than 155 miles on a single charge.

One of Los Angeles Metro's first Battery Electric Transit Buses built by Southern California Electric Vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors

"Today, BYD is creating jobs and providing an anchor for new businesses to locate in Los Angeles County and to provide jobs for our people," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich who was instrumental in bringing BYD to Southern California. The unveiling ceremony was held at LA Metro's Patsaouras Transit Plaza behind Union Station, and was attended by a number of city officials and business executives including LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, LA World Trade Center CEO Stephen Cheung, and BYD Company Founder and Chairman Chuanfu Wang.

BYD's Battery Electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by a staff of more than 15,000 R&D engineers including the BYD Iron-Phosphate battery which boasts the only 12-year-battery warranty in the industry. Combined with BYD's proprietary in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking system, the BYD battery electric bus offers the lowest life cycle cost of ownership. The BYD electric bus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for public transit riders, bus operators and residents of the community – it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or the noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus can also drive for more than 155 miles even in heavy city traffic on a single charge. As of April 1st, 2015, BYD bus fleets have completed greater than 50 million miles "in revenue service" and have been evaluated by more than 150 cities in 36 countries around the world. To date, BYD has built over 5,000 electric buses globally, making it by far the most popular electric transit vehicle on the planet.

"I am so proud to see the electrified transportation movement alive and well here in Los Angeles," said BYD's Founder and Chairman Chuanfu Wang. "We know from widely available data, that buses and taxis emit nearly 30% of the world's harmful emissions, yet only account for 1.7% of total vehicle ownership! The fastest way for us to influence the most change, and help as many people as possible, is to replace our fossil fuel burning transit buses," continued Wang, who has been compared to a modern day Thomas Edison by legendary investor Warren Buffett.

Los Angeles Metro will test the first 5 electric buses on various routes around the city to evaluate their optimal route profiles. There are still 20 more electric buses left on Metro's contract with BYD Motors, and if all goes well, the city hopes to see more electric buses on the streets soon.

ABOUT BYD Motors Inc.:

BYD Motors Inc. is an American manufacturing company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd, the largest domestic auto-manufacturer and electric-bus manufacturer in China. BYD is a publicly traded company, with the Hong Kong listed stock 60% of which is owned by U.S. investors, and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as the largest single shareholder at 9.9%. BYD Motors established its headquarters in downtown Los Angeles in October 2011 and has now hired over 160 Americans to support BYD Electric Bus and Energy Module factories in Lancaster, California. There are over 40 American research and development and sales support personnel at the Los Angeles headquarters.

Contacts in China: Sherry Li
[email protected] tel: +86-755-8988-8888-69666
United States: Micheal Austin
[email protected] tel: 1(800) BYD-AUTO
Europe: Penny Peng
[email protected] tel: +31-102070888