On December 16, 2015, BYD do Brasil – the Brazilian branch of green tech giant BYD Co. Ltd. – added yet another alternative to its electrified public transportation platform in the country, the urban bus K10A. Designed especially for the Brazilian market, the K10A is the company’s first 15-meter bus, and comes to join BYD’s electrified public transportation lineup featuring the K7 (8 meters), the K9 (12 meters) and the K11 (18 meters). Additionally to the new length, the batteries of the K10A are stored in the floor of the vehicle, making it more comfortable to passengers. The launch took place in São Paulo – the largest urban center in South America with the largest public transportation fleet in Brazil – to promote large-scale electric transportation, reduce emissions and optimize urban transport systems in the city, in compliance with long-term environmental protection goals thoroughly discussed at COP21 in Paris, concluded just last week with a consistent and comprehensive agreement on sustainable development.
The K10A carries up to 95 passengers, has five doors and also relies on the proprietary technology of the BYD Iron-Phosphate Battery, a fire-safe, long-cycle and extended lifetime battery which is totally clean and recyclable. Such battery pack grants the K10A a driving range of around 265 km on a single charge, enabling the bus to cover most public transportation routes in Brazil. The batteries feature a 6,000-cycle lifespan and guarantee of over 15 years of operation. Just like the other BYD buses in Brazil, the K10A features regenerative braking and highly efficient in-wheel motors, making it possible for the bus floor to be lower, greatly simplifying maintenance and significantly reducing operational costs.
The K10A will integrate a bus fleet – decorated with Christmas lighting – that will open traffic for vehicles at São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue on the two Sundays preceding Christmas, with free rides to the population. São Paulo already has a BYD K9 bus run by Ambiental transport operators, doing route 2002 from Terminal Parque Dom Pedro II to Terminal Bandeira, with excellent performance and greatly praised by passengers and drivers. The mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad, showed great enthusiasm for the new alternatives being developed – “Testing this type of bus is extremely important for São Paulo, so that we can manage to reduce noise and air pollution. These buses will soon be produced in Brazil, meaning that we will have a feasible alternative to diesel buses,” said the mayor. The city of São Paulo has ambitious long-term plans to electrify its public transportation fleets, following the experience of neighboring Campinas, which already relies on BYD’s technological advancement with 10 buses and one taxi – all zero emission – already operating in the city. The forecast is that the new bus will be running in São Paulo by the end of February 2016. With the operational success of electrified public transportation in Brazil, several other Brazilian cities are expected to adopt BYD’s solutions in this modality of transportation.
