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BYD Unveils World's First Battery Electric Coach Bus

Topics: BYD C9

BYD Unveils World's First Battery Electric Coach Bus

BYD
January 28, 2015

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BYD Motors Inc. has officially unveiled the world's first long range, 100% Battery Electric Over the Road Coach Bus. This first electric coach, named the BYD C9, is a two-axle, 40' coach with the seating capacity to carry 47 people at highway speed for over 190 miles. "The transportation industry is still just warming up to the idea of Battery Electric transit buses," said BYD Coach & Bus Vice President of Sales, Macy Neshati. "It was exciting to walk around last year's APTA Expo in Houston and see so many reputable names displaying an electrified transit bus. However, I don't think anybody thought they would see a viable electric coach solution for a few more years."

The BYD C9 is the first of three 100% Battery Electric coaches the company will launch globally this year. The other two, a 45' three-axle coach named the C10 and a 23' coach with executive and transport configurations named the C6 will be arriving by the end of 2015, and BYD sales managers at the 2015 UMA Expo were adamant about the fact they are taking orders for all three of the coaches starting now. "Last year, BYD pulled away from the competition in the transit space when they launched a 30' low floor bus and a 60' articulated bus in addition to their 40' bus making them the only electric bus builder with multiple offerings. This year the launch of three coach buses puts BYD on a level with no other bus or coach OEM. Not many people know this about BYD but we are a multibillion-dollar company employing nearly 190,000 people worldwide. There simply has never been a bus manufacturer in the United States with this sort of engineering or manufacturing power, that's why I tell every customer I meet with they should go BYD, it's the safe choice!" said Neshati.

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 led 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