A BYD C10MS became the first battery electric double decker bus to pass the durability road testing under the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) guidelines at the Model Bus Testing Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The C10MS joins a full range of BYD zero-emission vehicles that have passed the Altoona test.

"This is another proud achievement for BYD," said Patrick Duan, SVP for operations at BYD. "The BYD C10MS is not only a luxury double decker coach, but it is also practical, as it serving the needs of commuters and tourists throughout the world. We appreciate our many U.S. customers who have already deployed this zero-emission coach in their operations and look forward to delivering many more of them."

Established in 1989 by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute with funding provided by the FTA, the Larson Transportation Institute’s Bus Research and Testing Center in Altoona tests buses for safety, structural integrity, durability, performance, maintainability, noise, emissions, energy economy, and fuel economy.

Based primarily in Altoona, the center also has a facility located at the Larson Transportation Institute Test Track in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

In all, seven BYD models have completed Altoona durability testing.