Build Your Dreams’ (BYD) 60-foot battery-electric articulated transit bus completed durability road testing under the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) new pass/fail guidelines at the Model Bus Testing Program in Altoona, Pa.
BYD says its K11M became the first battery-electric transit bus of its size to complete the full 15,000-mile durability test in 106 days. A report on the testing is pending.
“The K11M passing the durability testing is a great milestone for BYD,” said Bobby Hill, vice president coach and bus, BYD. “We were the first in the industry to develop a 60-foot battery-electric bus and are proud to see it in use with transit agencies across the country.”
Once Altoona and FTA finalize the report, transit agencies will be able to tap FTA funding to buy the K11M. A few customers have already begun to acquire and use K11M buses, including the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, based in Lancaster, Calif., Los Angeles International Airport and IndyGo in Indianapolis, Ind.
BYD offers a range of battery-electric bus and coach models in the United States, ranging from 23-foot motor coaches on up the 60-foot K11M.
