BYD’s ebus begins service in Israel: Dan Bus Company starts operation in Tel Aviv

BYD’s ebus begins service in Israel: Dan Bus Company starts operation in Tel Aviv

Topics: Dan Bus Company

BYD’s ebus begins service in Israel: Dan Bus Company starts operation in Tel Aviv

BYD
August 7, 2013

Israel’s leading bus operator, Dan Bus Company, today starts operation of the country’s first full size electric bus, the BYD ebus. Dan will be using the bus on Line 5 in Tel Aviv starting today. The operator expects to fully integrate the ebus into its normal operation since its range on a single charge of 250km in normal urban conditions plus the ability to recharge in four to five hours will match its normal service requirements.

The introduction of the BYD ebus – the first full size pure electric bus to enter passenger carrying service – into the Dan fleet is significant since Dan is planning to invest €85 million on electric buses over the next five years, meaning that 25% of its fleet will be emissions free. Dan notes that the maintenance costs for electric buses are 25% lower than for diesel buses, with the price of electricity per kilometre being one third of the cost of diesel.

The BYD ebus is being imported to Israel by Clal Motors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clal Industries. Use of the electric bus will lead to operational efficiency and tremendous savings in current expenses throughout the life cycle of the vehicle, particular as diesel fuel is not required. Additionally, the electric bus offers important advantages in the city as it is quiet and is virtually non-polluting.

Michael Nagar, Chairman of Dan, and CEO Shmuel Refaeli, said at today's inauguration ceremony: "Today we mark a new era in the vision of public transportation being led by Dan. The quiet and comfort of travel in the electric bus hails a revolution in consumer experience, and we plan on offering this experience to all Dan passengers around the country. We thank Clal Motors and BYD for this strategic cooperation. We wish everybody a safe and quiet ride."

Doron Vadai, CEO of Clal Motors said, "Public transportation based on electric buses is part of Clal's and BYD's vision of the green city, which includes electric buses and cars, generation of electricity through solar energy and use of energy-efficient LED lights. We are delighted to be partners in Dan's implementation of the vision in Tel Aviv."

Isbrand Ho, BYD Europe’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Dan Bus and Clal Motors to bring our green technology to Israel for the first time. We are confident that our ebus will bring welcome environmental and cost benefits to Tel Aviv’s bus fleet”.

Dan currently operates close to 1,300 buses and hundreds of minibuses in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Dan is considered a pioneer in setting urban public transportation standards in Israel and worldwide, with the introduction of the low-floor interior buses to Israel, which over time have become the standard for urban public transportation operators.

Comfort of journey and fuel savings

The BYD ebus delivers a host of benefits not only for the environment but also for the public transport and the bus operator. It does not emit any harmful fumes into the environment. What is more, it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable journey without the vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses with combustion engines.

Zero emission

The BYD ebus is an all-electric vehicle. It does not emit harmful fumes into environment. This pure electric solution guarantees an appropriate range of the bus no matter what the road conditions.

The BYD ebus is a unique vehicle, from the start it was built as an electric bus and not a converted bus from a conventional power unit. What is more, it features appropriate weight distribution, thanks to the smart utilization of the battery weight, and that is why it has great level of driveability. The ebus also has a well-developed system of energy recovery, which allows the batteries to be recharged during braking.

250 km on one charge

The BYD ebus can drive for 250 km even in heavy city traffic after one full charge (although, a BYD ebus recently covered well over 300km on a single charge in Poland). This is the longest range of any electric bus. Charging time depends on the applied charger.

Pure electric BYD buses have been used in public transport since 2011. In China already 1,000 such buses have been built in the city of Shenzhen, 200 BYD electric buses have together accumulated almost 18 million km in passenger carrying service. In the first quarter of 2013 the BYD ebus obtained full European certification. This allowed the company to start selling buses on the European market. The Dutch province of Friesland is the first place in Europe where BYD electric buses are in use.

BYD ebus

The ebus built by BYD, is the first pure-electric bus powered by Iron-Phosphate battery in the world. More than 250 BYD ebuses are now in passenger carrying operations - by far the largest number from any bus brand. BYD ebus measures 12 meters long and is designed for customer transport comfort in mind. The technically advanced and specially designed wheel-hub motor, and its electronically controlled air suspension can offer customers a product with an exceptionally low floor, multiple door choices, and ample floor space for easy passenger access.

The imposing windscreen occupies two thirds of the frontal area of the bus for maximum viewing as well as safety. The bus body conveys an elegant exterior image, while the interior boasts an air of quality with adjustable driver’s seat, durable seats for passengers and a carefully engineered sound insulation keeping the interior ride whisper quiet.

BYD’s pure electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD’s 15,000 engineers strong R&D team. For example, the Iron-Phosphate battery or “Fe Battery” used on the BYD ebus is safe and non-polluting: the materials contained in the battery can be recycled or safely disposed of.

BYD ebus Project

Orders have been awarded in China, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Uruguay, Canada and the United States. The BYD electric bus has also been successfully tested in many cities in Europe including Madrid, Barcelona, Budapest, Salzburg, and etc. The accumulated mileage of the 200 electric buses operating in the city of Shenzhen, China alone have exceeded 18 million kilometers (or 11.4 million miles) by the end of July 2013.

BYD ebus Highlights

Environmentally friendly

• No direct emissions

• Low noise

• Recyclable Fe battery: no toxic electrolytes and no heavy metals

Advanced technology

• Regenerative Braking

• Wheel-hub motor

• Fe battery

• Charging convenience

• Fully charged in 5 hours.

Extended range

• The BYD ebus is able to run 250 km (155 miles ) on a single charge in urban conditions

Safety

• Unibody construction

• 4-wheel disc brakes

• ABS and ASR

Passenger-oriented design

• Airy designed interior space with low-entry

• Special ramps for wheelchair access

• Non-step passenger cabin

Wheel-hub Motor

The in-house developed rear drive axle installed on the BYD ebus is the core technology in BYD’s electric buses. The rear drive axle system integrates the wheel-hub drive and regenerative braking technologies, and at the same time, provides exceptional passenger comfort.

Compared to the conventional motor, the rear drive axle system has no gear box, no transmission shaft, and eliminating differential mechanism, therefore BYD is able to cut down the bus weight by 300kg and also greatly saving space. Thanks to the revolutionary design, power from the motor is directly transmitted to the driving wheels, there are significant improvements in power propulsion efficiency and reductions in noise and vibration.

Charging Facilities

The on-board AC charging technology developed by BYD is unique to the electric bus, requiring only 5 hours to fully recharge the BYD ebus.

Since the AC charging system has a direct connection to the grid, it can charge not only the batteries but correspondingly, in an emergency, transmit power back onto the grid from the batteries, for example, in a black out situation.

On-board AC charging system advantages:

1. Independent of charging stations.
2. Charging box is much smaller and lighter, and more convenient to transport than a conventional charging cabinet.
3. Low maintenance costs.
4. Suitable for various locations; easy to operate.
5. Charging is both safe and pollution free, therefore charging box can be installed in the building without concerns for hydrogen gas emission..
6. Operators are encouraged to take advantage of the off-peak hours in the evening to charge the vehicles reducing demand pressure on the grid.
7. Electricity can be transmitted back onto the grid from the on-board batteries, when necessary, for emergency power supply.
8. AC charging system is more cost-effective than DC charging system.

About BYD

BYD Company Ltd. is one of China's largest companies and has successfully expanded globally. Specializing in battery technologies, their green mission to "solve the whole problem" has made them industry pioneers and leaders in several High-tech sectors including High-efficiency Automobiles, Electrified Public Transportation, Environmentally-Friendly Energy Storage, Affordable Solar Power and Information Technology and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) services.

As the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, their mission to create safer and more environmentally friendly battery technologies has lead to the development of the BYD Iron Phosphate (or "Fe") Battery. This fire-safe, completely recyclable and incredibly long-cycle technology has become the core of their clean energy platform that has expanded into automobiles, buses, trucks, utility vehicles and energy storage facilities. BYD and all of their shareholders, including the great American Investor Warren Buffett, see these environmentally and economically forward products as the way of the future.

BYD has made a strong entrance to the North, Central and South American markets with their battery electric buses, and lineup of automobiles. Their mission lies not just in sales growth, but also in sociological integration and local job creation as they have poured incredible investments into developing offices, dealerships and manufacturing facilities in the local communities they now call home, truly a first for Chinese companies. For more information, please visit www.byd.com or www.facebook.com/bydcompany.