BYD Delivers 10 Electric Buses to Wash.'s Link Transit

BYD completed the delivery of 10 battery-electric K9S buses to Link Transit in Wenatchee, Wash., a milestone for the company as production ramps up following a temporary plant closure in Mid-March from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final two buses of the order were recently delivered, joining the eight others that had been delivered prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. The buses were the first to be completed by BYD after reopening its plant.

BYD began a phased reopening of its Lancaster, Calif., Coach and Bus manufacturing plant in mid-May with stringent safety protocols in place.

The K9S 35-ft electric bus California, has a range of up to 215 miles, seats up to 32, and can be fully charged in three to four hours. All the buses were fitted with wireless charging receivers from Momentum Dynamics, allowing for on-route charging, which increases the range of the bus to allow for virtually perpetual usage.

In 2018, Link Transit commissioned the nation's first 200-kilowatt wireless charging system for a battery-electric transit bus from Momentum Dynamics. The system has been operational on a BYD K9S bus since then.

In January, following the successful introduction and operation of a wirelessly charged bus in 2018, Momentum Dynamics Corporation and Link Transit extended their relationship with a new five-year agreement. As part of the agreement, Momentum will provide three new on-route charging stations, each capable of delivering 300kW.