BYDÂ has begun deliveries of its all-electric buses to Bogota, Colombia. With 470 electric buses total, it is one of the largest EV bus fleets in the Americas.
The buses are 12-meter and 9-meter models, with room for 80 and 50 people respectively. They have a single charge range of over 186 miles and are slated to cover almost 40 routes and over 300,000 commuters across the capital of Colombia.
The first 120 buses were delivered on December 17. The remaining 350 vehicles are expected to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
As for charging the electric buses, there is already a charging station in the Fontibon district of Bogota, with three more expected to be launched. The Fontibon district station is equipped with 56 double 150 kW chargers.
This isn’t the first large delivery of buses seen from BYD in South America. South America will add the additional 470 buses to its fleet of hundreds that were delivered to Chile early this year.
Compared to diesel buses, BYD’s pure electric bus fleet will save 12,500 tons of carbon dioxide and 2.5 tons of dust particles from being emitted into the environment every year. Additionally, it won’t be too shabby a place for the drivers as each truck comes equipped with a driver safety cabin, TV, WIFI, security cameras, intelligent transport system, mobile phone charging USB interfaces, access platform for people with disabilities, and other people-centric features.