In conjunction with the Green Aruba Conference and the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), the areas transit agency, ARUBUS, introduced the Caribbean’s first 40-foot pure-electric bus manufactured by BYD Co. Ltd.

The bus delivery for revenue service is only the first step of a memo-of-understanding (MOU) signed in June 2013 between BYD and Aruba outlining Aruba’s plans to be the first nation with a carbon-neutral footprint and complete energy independence with only clean sustainable renewable power sources and electrified public transportation.

Aruba plans to use BYD green-technologies to pursue its goal of becoming an emissions-free Nation by the year 2020. The first of four major objectives in the MOU was electrifying public transportation with zero-emissions vehicles.

The Island currently boasts 15% renewable generation sources from wind, and these electric buses will immediately take advantage of this renewable power and each addition of renewable clean energy generation as they are implemented by the national government — plans include solar and bio-mass/waste generation.