BYD to supply Dutch all-electric buses

BYD Co. Ltd. was selected to supply Europe’s largest, zero emissions, all-electric bus fleet to transfer passengers between airport terminals and aircraft at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The 35 BYD buses will enter service in July of 2014 and replace an ageing fleet of conventionally powered buses.

The SUBSS Project (Sustainable Bus System of Schiphol) aims to provide a new generation of emissions-free, plane-side, transfer-vehicles to enhance the airport’s image with both the customers and the airline brands. These high-technology buses will reduce maintenance and management costs and improve the overall airport air quality by reducing the emissions of green-house gases.

The open-public tender was under intense competitive pressure from four other very established suppliers, so this is seen as a major triumph for BYD in the airport-transport industry and it comes at a time when all European airports are under increasing pressures to cut pollutants and reduce green-house gas emissions.

BYD’s pure-electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD’s 15,000 engineers including: the advanced environmentally-friendly, Iron-Phosphate batteries, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking.