BYD do Brasil and Campinas City Administration announced this month, the addition of 10 battery-electric buses to the city’s public transportation bus fleet. Campinas is a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and will be the first in the country to have a fleet of fully electric, zero emission buses operating in its streets. The model chosen to integrate the fleet in Campinas is the BYD K9, a 12-meter, 4-door, low-floor urban bus, with universal accessibility for passengers with limited mobility. Its innovative design was especially suited to the Brazilian market, and features optimized power performance as compared to its diesel counterpart. The BYD K11 articulated electric bus – which features the longest driving range in the world in the category – had also been demoed to the Mayor, and will soon begin testing in the city.
Campinas Mayor, Jonas Donizete, was really impressed with the bus’s quality and technology, and said that “they are very comfortable, almost noise-free, and great for the environment”. He also mentioned that the city has a lot to gain with such technology, from better quality of life, reduction of pollutants and incentives to public transportation, and that he is very excited that BYD chose Campinas as the basis for its production units in Brazil. The company’s factories – one for electric buses and the other for solar panels, to be opened in the second half of 2015 and first half of 2016, respectively – will supply both Brazilian and Latin American markets. Between 2014 and 2017, BYD will invest around R$ 350 million and generate around 650 jobs.
The electric buses will come as a boon to the people of Campinas, for the fleet will greatly improve residents’ quality of life by significantly reducing air and noise pollution. BYD’s Director of Government Relations, Adalberto Maluf, stated that additionally to being emissions free and incredibly silent; the buses’ outstanding energy efficiency will greatly reduce operational costs to the city administration. He also mentioned that leading cities worldwide like Los Angeles, London and New York have already advanced in this agenda, and now, not only the people of Campinas, but also its administration can enjoy the incredible benefits of this innovative technology. Campinas Environment Secretary, Rogério Menezes, stated the city’s leadership at a moment when the international community is getting ready for the UN Climate Conference (COP-21) in Paris at the end this year.
