AVTA to expand its fleet of BYD electric buses

BYD announced it will build eight K9M battery-electric 40-foot buses for the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, expanding the largest all-electric bus fleet in the nation.

AVTA, which serves northern Los Angeles County and portions of southern Kern County, was the first transit agency in North America to go 100% battery-electric. Since making the decision to go all-electric in 2016, AVTA has put 65 BYD zero-emission buses into revenue service.

“By combining groundbreaking BYD electric bus technology with wireless inductive charging technology, AVTA’s innovative bus project is the first of its kind in the nation,” said Marvin Crist, AVTA’s board chairman and Vice Mayor of the City of Lancaster. “AVTA’s zero-emission fleet, the first in the nation, accumulated six million service miles, saving 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel and cutting 35.6 million pounds of CO2 and 112,000 pounds of particulate matter.”

The battery-electric, zero-emission K9M has 37+1 seats, a range of 155 miles, and can be rapidly charged in 2 to 3 hours.

“We are excited to be able to make this announcement during the annual APTA conference in Orlando. BYD is proud to partner with AVTA, a pioneer in battery-electric bus transportation in the United States,” said Patrick Duan, BYD North America Senior Vice President. “The AVTA continues to shows transit agencies throughout California and the rest of the transportation industry how to transition from fossil fuels to zero-emission technology. These battery-electric buses will help keep Southern California’s air clean and at the same time provide customers with a quiet, comfortable ride.”

AVTA is buying the K9Ms through a State of Georgia statewide contract, which benefits local governments and transit agencies through the convenience and competitive pricing of pre-established contracts. BYD has also been selected as a vendor for transit buses and motor coaches in statewide contracts for California and New Mexico.

Visit BYD at Booth 3553 at APTA’s TRANSform Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  BYD showcasing six of its innovative and technologically superior American-Made battery electric buses at the expo: the 30-foot K7M-ER, the 35-foot K8M, the 40-foot K9M, and the 60-foot articulated K11M. Also on display are two BYD battery-electric motorcoach models, the 35-foot, double-deck C8MS and the 45-foot C10M.

BYD will have sales people and technicians on hand to present the vehicles and answer questions

About BYD

 The Official Sponsor of Mother Nature™, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is the world’s leading electric vehicle company with proven innovative technology for cars, buses, trucks, forklifts, and rail systems – like SkyRail. BYD is dedicated to creating a truly zero-emission ecosystem offering technology for solar electricity generation, energy storage to save that electricity, and battery-electric vehicles powered by that clean energy. Globally, BYD is committed to corporate social responsibility, monitoring our supply chain in terms of human rights, environmental safety, hazardous substance control and intellectual property rights. We select only suppliers who share our commitment to labor practices, human rights standards and the environment.

BYD has 220,000 employees across the globe, including nearly 1,000 in North America. For more information, please visit www.BYD.com or follow BYD on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.