Brazilian Transit Operator Via Agile and Piracicaba’s Transit Authority Semuttran have started pilot testing with a pure-electric transit bus from BYD Company Ltd. The purpose of the evaluation is to find ways to reduce transportation costs and unnecessary emissions in and around the city of Piracicaba.

With the rising cost of diesel fuel in Brazil, Semuttran currently has an average operational fuel cost of R$ 0.90/ km (~$0.61 USD/ mile) for its diesel fueled transit fleet. The fleet travels 93,500 km (57.6 K miles) annually. It is estimated the BYD Pure Electric bus would save the fleet R$ 60,775 (~$26,423 USD) each year in fuel (electricity for the eBus is R$ 0.25/km or ~$0.18USD/ mile). These savings are necessary for operators as many cities in Brazil are attempting to expand their transportation footprint to meet growing demand, according to the transit authority.

BYD’s pure-electric bus includes advanced environmentally friendly, iron-phosphate batteries, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking systems. The iron-phosphate battery is fire-safe and non-toxic and can be completely recycled. The BYD electric bus is quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines, according to the company. The bus can also drive for more than 155 miles, even in heavy city traffic on a single charge. The bus has completed more than 16 million miles of “in-revenue service” and has been evaluated in many major cities all over the world.