BYD electric bus

The BYD ebus (also: BYD electric bus) is a bus from the Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto, a subsidiary of BYD Group.

He is a pure battery bus and the world's first lithium iron phosphate battery.

For this model, which is used in the Netherlands already in the public transport, the company is planning its own assembly plant in Europe.

The vehicle was initially marketed as BYD K9, since 2013, the manufacturer uses the term BYD ebus. BYD is the acronym for: build your dreams.

History

On 30 September 2010, the first BYD left ebus ( under the name K9) the production facility. On the occasion of the international Summer Universiade 2011 in Shenzhen 200 buses of this type were used. This was also the first and so far the world's largest fleet of pure electric buses dar. Since the end of the event the vehicles are integrated in regular service of the city; according to the manufacturer 20 million kilometers have been covered since then. Also in other cities in China, these buses are used, 100 in Changsha, Xi'an and other 50 in Shaoguan.

In January 2013, the EU granted for the BYD ebus a Whole Vehicle Type Approval, which allows not only the declaration of conformity for sale in all EU Member States, without obtaining further approvals from each member country.

The first exclusively battery-operated buses scheduled services in Europe was established in the Netherlands: Since the beginning of 2013, at six BYD buses on the otherwise largely car-free island of Schiermonnikoog. In May 2013 were of Buquebus, the largest transport company in Uruguay, the first BYD ebus operated. The procurement of additional 500 buses is provided by 2015. The Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a contract for the supply of 35 BYD battery buses for use in airport apron was closed on 16 July 2013. However, the manufacturer was able to prevail in a public tender against renowned European manufacturers. In August 2013 the Israeli bus company Dan the first BYD ebus was put into operation. The vehicle is equipped with additional solar panels on the roof. It is planned to purchase an additional 700 buses of this type to replace in Tel Aviv to and after the current diesel buses. Other sales were made in 2013 in Canada, the U.S. and the island nation of Aruba.

Since mid 2012, the company's vehicle in the world to all interested communities for test drives. In Europe, the BYD ebus was used to test drives of companies in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest and Warsaw. In Denmark, two BYD buses are of Movia, the operating company of the Copenhagen bus traffic, tested for two years. The city has set a goal in 2025 to be the first emission-free capital of the world. The end of 2013 the first BYD buses have been procured for two lines in the center of London from the Transport for London; they are the first battery buses in the British capital. More will follow during the year 2014.

In Germany, the vehicle was used in the summer of 2013 in Bremen and Bonn in the simulated line service. The tests in Bonn provided a positive overall impression. Was criticized only the noise level inside the vehicle. Stadtwerke Bonn have a feasibility study commissioned in the potential for the economic conversion of the entire bus operation to be checked for electric mobility.

Throughout Germany blocked the indebtedness of cities and towns in many places a conversion of public transport to more environmentally friendly buses and reduces the medium term sales opportunities of electric buses. The German federal government, which, inter alia, supported under the economic stimulus package and the National Climate Initiative, many communities in the introduction of hybrid buses, could so far not to subsidize the procurement of battery buses because of the lack of marketable, suitable for daily use products from German manufacturers.

In October 2013, the company announced at a bus exhibition in Kortrijk that it would ebus build an assembly plant for the BYD in Europe.

Technology

The BYD ebus has a usual route bus length of 12 meters and an empty weight of 14 tons (with batteries). The vehicle is running in low-floor technology, which allows for easier entry and exit and a continuously variable center aisle.

The vehicle has 25 seats and 35 standing passengers and a wheelchair space. Although the seat number and arrangement can be customized, but this is very limited due to the large space requirement of the battery. Vehicles with smaller batteries, which allow a greater number of passengers, but more frequent reloading require (such as induction or on an overhead line ) and are therefore not suitable for long distances, are not offered by the manufacturer. This also applies to reichweitenverlängernde Range Extender.

The heart of the vehicle is the self- developed by BYD lithium iron phosphate battery. These recyclable high-energy cell ( 324 kWh) is considered safe (no thermal runaway ) and as environmentally friendly ( no heavy metals or toxic electrolytes). The charge storage capacity of the battery BYD ebus is specified with 600 Ah. According to the manufacturer, the stored energy is enough to travel 250 kilometers without recharging the bus. In a test in Warsaw has a range of 310 km succeeded (However drove this vehicle at night without passengers with an above average route bus speed of 55 km / h ).

The energy is transferred to two of BYD developed in -wheel motors that act as brushless AC synchronous motors on the rear axle.

A particular technical challenge in battery buses represents the heating system ( so led to the related problems such as the development of Cobus 2500E to interrupt the development project). While the accumulators of BYD have ebus a wide temperature range, making it (despite occasional harmless voltage drops) will be little loss of capacity even in freezing temperatures. However, the energy required for continuous heating at the expense of range of the vehicle. According to the manufacturer, therefore, also electric buses are available that are specifically designed for the climatic conditions of northern countries. For their special equipment include insulating glass units and an auxiliary heater; corresponding models are provided in Denmark and Finland their service.

Development

As with all battery-powered vehicles, the heavy weight of the batteries proves useful in BYD ebus one hand, and their relatively low capacity on the other hand as a significant disadvantage. Already in light commercial vehicles such as the Volkswagen eT! this represents and the associated relatively low range is the real problem, which prevents large-scale acceptance and market introduction. The greater the challenge, in a commercial vehicle with a gross weight of 18 tons: So part of the stored energy is exclusively for the purpose needed to transport the heavy batteries and the BYD ebus.

BYD in China has four own research and development centers in Shenzhen, Shanghai. Beijing and Shaoguan. There, the group hopes to develop lighter, from the classic type deviating high-energy cells with reduced space requirements and a relevant increase the capacity and shorter charging times. The company, which sees itself as a global pioneer in the development of alternative drive systems, thereby benefiting the unusual in automotive producer possibility of in-house collaboration between automotive and battery research.

According to newspaper reports, several thousand research young electrical engineers and chemists in this project.

Gallery

BYD ebus in New York ( USA)

BYD ebus in Bonn

BYD ebus, Interior