What could be a distance record unmatched by any pure electric bus has been recorded with minimum fanfare by a BYD ebus on trial with Copenhagen, Denmark bus operator City-Trafik.
The 12 metre BYD ebus completed its normal service on Route 12 a week ago, a total distance of 110km (or 68.4 miles) carrying an average of 40 passengers. Then the bus set off along the Ballerup highway –a standard motorway –and further covered a distance of 215km (or 133.6 miles) ending the day with 8 percent of battery charge remaining, clocking up a total of 325km (202 miles) on a single charge.
This result exceeds the previous best performance of a BYD ebus during the company’s Europe-wide trial programmes. Last year an ebus achieved 310 km using only 69 percent of total charge between the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krackow.
A second trial of an ebus in Copenhagen with the city’s other operator Arriva produced a no less impressive result. The bus completed an arduous full day of city operation –150km (or 93 miles) from 06:00 to 16:50, operating fully loaded and with the electric heatingsystem in constant use. The bus was then taken on a 90km (or 56 miles) motorway run and again ended up with a 8 percent charge remaining, covering a total distance of 240 km (149miles) on a single charge.
The two ebuses have been in service in Copenhagen since the beginning of January, in the hands of Movia’s two service providers City-Trafik and Arriva. The bus, specially equipped to handle the rigors of the Scandinavian winter, has performed well. Operating costs have been low –electricity in Denmark costs 2DKK (€0.27) per kWh at normal prices. This compares with diesel at 9.79DKK (€1.3) per litre.
