BYD has won an order to supply 1,002 electric buses to Bogotá, Colombia.
This is the largest order for pure-electric buses outside of China to date, which sets a new record in sales volume for the overseas pure-electric bus industry.
“This more than 1,000 buses order marks a fresh start, which will effectively promote the rapid development of green transportation in Latin America and the coming era of global bus electrification," said Stella Li, president, BYD Motors. “In the move towards electrification globally, BYD will continue to make great contributions moving forward.”
Bogotá City Public Transport Authority (TRANSMILENIO S.A.) launched a public commercial tender covering diesel, CNG and electric technologies for 1,295 buses in August. Three of BYD’s global strategic partners adopted BYD’s integrated electric bus solutions for their bids and successfully won the tender, totaling 1,002 pure electric buses. BYD will partner with local bus manufacturers Superpolo and BUSSCAR respectively on the bus body parts.
This batch of buses is scheduled to be delivered during 2021 and into the first half of 2022, and will be put into operation on 34 bus routes across five regions of the capital, providing residents along the routes with quiet, safe and emissions-free travel services.
So far, BYD has won 1,472 orders for electric buses in the Colombia capital. According to TRANSMILENIO S.A., these buses will reduce 83,433 tons of carbon dioxide and 9.63 tons of particle emissions per year compared to diesel buses meeting fifth-generation European emission standards over the 15-year concession period, which will improve local air quality and enhance Colombia's overall ability to cope with climate change.
“Assembling the bus body parts in Colombia will not only help boost the national economy by creating skilled jobs for the local community, but also improve the quality of transportation services, cut carbon emissions, and improve the environment,” said Maria Fernanda Ortiz, head of the TRANSMILENIO S.A.
“As the world's leading new energy vehicle manufacturer, BYD has overcome many difficulties resulting from the pandemic, exclusively winning this tender because of our all-round capability,” said Lara Zhang, regional director of BYD Latin America. “We are extremely grateful for the trust and recognition of all our strategic clients, and we are also looking forward to working with Superpolo and BUSSCAR on this exciting project."
