LACMTA and Long Beach to purchase all-electric buses from BYD (China)

[DJ MC]

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) board of directors approved a contract with BYD Motors for the manufacture and delivery of up to 25 new all-electric buses as part of a $30 million clean air bus technology pilot project.

 

This is the first time in Metro’s history that all-electric, zero-emission transit buses will be purchased and placed into revenue service as the agency evaluates electric bus technologies and their applicability to meet L.A.’s rigorous transit needs.

 

Metro’s Advanced Transit Vehicle Consortium (ATVC), a partnership with L.A. City, L.A. County and South Coast Air Quality Management District, will initially purchase five low-floor, 40-foot all-electric buses. After an initial period of testing and evaluation, Metro may then choose to purchase up to 20 additional buses. Metro will also initiate a new solicitation to convert six existing Metro gasoline electric hybrid buses to super low emission bus standards.

 

Source

 

Also they aren't the only ones.

 

LONG BEACH — A Chinese company will build Long Beach Transit's next generation of eco-friendly buses.

The Long Beach Transit Board of Directors today voted to award a $12.1 million contract to purchase 10 all-electric buses and charging equipment to BYD Motors, Inc. a U.S. subsidiary of BYD Co. Ltd., a Chinese firm.

 

The contract, funded mainly with the federal government's Transit Investment for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction program, is considered one of the largest federal grants ever awarded for the deployment of electric buses and sets the stage nationally for the next step in bus technology, transit officials said. Right now, most U.S. buses run on diesel or compressed natural gas, or CNG.

 

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[Turbo19]

I've been keeping up with this order and look forward to the day it's completed.

 

I must say I'm liking the prototype they have out.

 

[peacemak3r]

Some funky looking buses, but I like 'em!

[Turbo19]

Some funky looking buses, but I like 'em!

They'll look better in the silver/orange scheme they'll be delivered with.

 

As usual though, they'll be critics, as with everything.

[Vistausss]

Since recently we have some BYD buses in my country for test purposes. It's a different model than this one but they are also all electric but the passengers seem to really like 'em (although the design looks influenced by the Volvo 8700 but still a nice design nonetheless).

 

I don't really dig the model in this thread though. The front is nice but the sides look surprisingly much like a MAN Lion's City NG with Mercedes Citaro doors. Plus it looks way too funky, don't really like that.

[DJ MC]

It's a nice looking bus. I hope everyone down here is looking at these as well. I would like to see these running on our BRT route or if possible regular bus routes.

[yardlet6]

Anything made in China as far as vehicles should bear watching. Remember the Maglev crash there.

[DJ MC]

Anything made in China as far as vehicles should bear watching. Remember the Maglev crash there.

 

What does a train have anything to do with a bus?

[Turbo19]

Anything made in China as far as vehicles should bear watching. Remember the Maglev crash there.

It should be noted that all buses destined for North American transit agencies will be produced in a facility in Lancaster, California.

 

However I wouldn't have a problem riding the actual vehicles if they were in fact manufactured overseas.

[Fan Railer]

Anything made in China as far as vehicles should bear watching. Remember the Maglev crash there.

First off, that wasn't a "maglev" crash; that was a conventional high speed rail signal failure, which does tend to happen time to time regardless of which country manufactures the equipment. In fact, with any relatively new system, there are bound to be a few equipment failures and hiccups, some, unfortunately, being fatal. You clearly have not bothered to read into the incident; rather, you probably just heard some vague scraps of information down the grapevine and never bothered to verify it, and then you proceed to make blanket assumptions and stereotypes based on said erroneous information. Thanks for stopping by and confirming that you fall into that disappointingly large group of people that doesn't think for themselves.