The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has officially taken delivery of their first 5 battery electric transit buses from BYD.
Metro, known in the transit community as the Nation’s first clean-air fleet with their conversion to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transit buses, is now also the first major transit property in the U..S to begin electrifying their fleet with truly zero-emissions buses. These 40-foot buses are built by local Southern California Electric Vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors, and will be direct integrated into their daily operations, as the buses are capable of driving more than 155 miles on a single charge.
“Today, BYD is creating jobs and providing an anchor for new businesses to locate in Los Angeles County and to provide jobs for our people”, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich who was instrumental in bringing BYD to Southern California. The unveiling ceremony was held at LA Metro’s Patsaouras Transit Plaza behind Union Station, and was attended by a number of city officials and business executives including LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, LA World Trade Center CEO Stephen Cheung, and BYD Company Founder and Chairman Chuanfu Wang.
“I am so proud to see the electrified transportation movement alive and well here in Los Angeles”, said BYD’s Founder and Chairman Chuanfu Wang, “We know from widely available data, that buses and taxis emit nearly 30 percent of the world’s harmful emissions, yet only account for 1.7 percent of total vehicle ownership. The fastest way for us to influence the most change, and help as many people as possible, is to replace our fossil fuel burning transit buses”, continued Wang, who has been compared to a modern day Thomas Edison by legendary investor Warren Buffett.
Los Angeles Metro will test the first 5 electric buses on various routes around the city to evaluate their optimal route profiles. There are still 20 more electric buses left on Metro’s contract with BYD Motors, and if all goes well, the city hopes to see more electric buses on the streets soon.
