BYD K series

The BYD K series bus (sometimes just referred to as the BYD ebus or BYD electric bus) are a line of battery electric buses manufactured by the Chinese automaker BYD, powered with its self-developed lithium iron phosphate battery, featuring a typical operating range of 250 kilometres (160 mi) per charge under urban road conditions. It is available in several different nominal lengths, from 7.0 to 13.7 m (23 to 45 ft) and also as a 18 m (60 ft) (articulated) bus. The rear axle is powered by two electric traction motors; the battery capacity and motor power of each model varies depending on the nominal length and passenger capacity.
The first BYD battery electric K-series bus was manufactured on 30 September 2010 in Changsha city of Hunan province. Previously, BYD had built electric vehicle models like F3DM, F6DM and e6. K9 has a 12-meter body length and 18-ton weight with one-step low-floor interior. It is reportedly priced at 2–3 million yuan (S$395,000 – S$592,600).
The K-series bus has been bought to operators in Mainland China, India, Japan, Hong Kong, United States, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Aruba, Malaysia and Singapore.
The company extended its production base in Tianjin, China at the end of July, 2012 and may plan to manufacture in Brazil and Windsor, Canada. BYD built and operates an electric bus factory in Lancaster, California, US. The new factory started production in October 2013. Los Angeles has already introduced electric buses for the metro authority and has primarily relied on BYD buses for this plan, which as a company has become the top electric bus manufacturer in North America. In December 2014, another manufacturing plant began operation in Dalian, Liaoning, China.
BYD model numbers (e.g., K9) include K (designating "transit bus") and a number (designating nominal length; larger numbers indicate longer buses).
Various letter suffixes have been applied, including:
BYD's official published specifications for its K9 electric bus include:
Two or more versions of this bus have been delivered. The two-door version is in service in China's Shenzhen, Changsha, Xi'an and Shaoguan while the 3-door version operates in Shenzhen, Bogota etc. for test and demonstration purposes.
The K-series buses are powered by LiFePO4 batteries developed by BYD, which also have been applied to BYD e6, BYD DESS and other energy storage products. BYD claims that the chemical materials contained in the battery can be recycled without any toxins. Battery capacities range from approximately 100 to 600 kWh, depending on the fitted drive axle and bus size. As tested at Altoona for the United States market, consumption and range were 1.36 kWh/mi and 173.62 km (107.88 mi) (K7), 1.74–2.45 kWh/mi and 280 to 394 km (174 to 245 mi), depending on the operating cycle (K8M with 435 kWh battery and the 2×150 kW (200 hp) axle), 1.99 kWh/mi and 208 km (129 mi) (K9 with 324 kWh battery and the 2×90 kW (120 hp) axle), and 2.09 to 3.74 kWh/mi and 254 to 455 km (158 to 283 mi), depending on the operating cycle (K11M with 578 kWh battery and the 2×150 kW (200 hp) axle).
The drivetrain uses an in-hub motor and reduction gear for each wheel on the drive axle. At least three distinct axles are offered:
Solar panels fixed on the vehicle were once reported to supplement the onboard batteries. They were included on demo units, but not on units sold commercially.
Safety features include unitary construction body, 4-wheel disc brakes, ABS+ASR, one-step easy-pass with special footplates for wheelchair access and non-step inside.
The body comes silver, yellow or green (for different markets). In the silver version the front windscreen occupies two-thirds of the front of the bus for maximum visibility. It includes adjustable leather seating for driver and red and black leather seats for passengers. The battery cabins are laid in the bus rear on both sides. While the Battery housing are located at the front.
BYD calculates that a BYD ebus over 8 years saves about $190,000 in energy costs. In 2012, the price for a BYD ebus was €380,000 Euros, €100,000 more than a comparable diesel bus.
To qualify for federal subsidies in the United States, heavy-duty transit buses must be assembled domestically (under the requirements of the "Buy America Act") and pass durability testing for an accelerated equivalent 12-year period at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute in Altoona, Pennsylvania. To meet these requirements, BYD has opened a bus production facility in Lancaster, California in 2013 and K7 (2017), K8 (2021), K9 (2014), and K11 (2020) buses have been tested at Altoona.
In addition, LADOT and Long Beach Transit have conducted long-term comparison tests between BYD battery-electric buses and similarly sized buses fueled with compressed natural gas. In general, the BEBs were more efficient than the CNG buses, with energy consumption measured approximately 1.12–1.13 kW⋅h/km; 4.0–4.1 MJ/km (1.81–1.82 kW⋅h/mi), equivalent to 20.7 mpg‑e (163 kW⋅h/100 mi) (diesel gallon equivalent); the consumption of the CNG buses was measured at an equivalent 9.67 kW⋅h/km; 34.8 MJ/km (15.56 kW⋅h/mi) or 3.49 mpg‑e (970 kW⋅h/100 mi) (diesel gallon equivalent). It was noted that consumption increased during summer months, presumably due to the use of air conditioning systems. In addition, the BEBs were less reliable, being taken out of service more often than the CNG buses and requiring more frequent roadcalls over a shorter distance traveled; the mean distance between roadcalls for the Long Beach BYD evaluation fleet was 6,830 km (4,244 mi), compared to 24,169 km (15,018 mi) for the CNG comparison bus fleet.
At a press conference in Beijing on 4 November 2012, BYD announced "Zero vehicle purchase price, Zero costs, Zero emissions", to promote the sale of its e6 and K9. The initiative is supported financially by China Development Bank from a fund totalling over 30 Billion RMB ($4.6B USD), and allows buyers to finance 100% of the purchase price with no down payment, paying a lease rate that effectively costs less than regular monthly operational expenses.
Under the scheme, available in China, public transport operators can choose the ownership model from three different options:
The company explained the concept of "Zero Costs" by comparing difference between the five-year cost of running a conventional taxi in Shenzhen, as against its all-electric taxicab. It came to the conclusion that "if the car runs for 5 years, and the total saving over 5 years is deducted from the higher cost of the vehicle and the interest on multiple payments, it can save 326,400 RMB. The company also claimed that if enough distance is covered, "the vehicle payment will be entirely offset". BYD also promoted the "Zero Emission" feature of its renewable-energy vehicles by stating that "an e6 electric taxi saves 14,120 litres of fuel per year, with 32 tonnes fewer CO2 emissions", and "169 million litres of fuel could be saved with CO2 emissions reduced by 38.62 million tonnes per year" if all Chinese taxis were to be replaced with its electric vehicles.
In both 2011 and 2012, BYD obtained orders from amounting to 1200+ units. More than 200 K9s in service in Shenzhen had accumulated over 9,216,000 km (5,727,000 mi) by the end of August 2012.
In 2015, BYD sold about 6,000 of these buses worldwide. BYD became the world leader in the sale of electric vehicles in 2015.
In the North American transit bus market, the K-series bus is sold with several different nominal lengths, powertrain options, and battery capacities.
BYD electric bus has been tested in European countries including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain in cities such as Bremen and Bonn, Helsinki, Coimbra, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens and Warsaw.
North America:
Europe: