New energy company BYD continues to evolve its business and its offerings to customers with the introduction of the world’s longest electric bus. The new BYD K12A is a 27 meter (89 foot) long beast of an electric bus that features two independent articulating points that connect its 3 unique segments.
Image credit: BYD
“Today, BYD once again uses its core technology, reliable products and innovative solutions to solve the two great urban ills of congestion and pollution,” Stella Li, Senior Vice President of BYD said. “The K12A will bring zero emissions to BRT systems, allowing passengers to enjoy quiet, pollution-free travel, while at the same time saving significant maintenance costs for operators.”
The new bus features an impressive 250 passenger capacity that gives city transit authorities, airport shuttle operators, and other bus buyers one more tool in their toolbox that they can deploy to solve for their specific transit needs. With a maximum speed of just 70 kilometers per hour (43 miles per hour), the bus is clearly designed for urban and campus operations, which its high capacity is well suited for.
The K12A also features BYD’s unique distributed 4WD system that allows it to seamlessly switch between 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive operation as it glides along its route, depending on the terrain. This flexibility allows the K12A to optimize energy consumption while still delivering the 4 wheel drive performance needed on some routes.
Image credit: BYD
DC and AC charging ports were also added to the K12A to allow customers to charge with either AC or DC depending on the solution that best meets their needs. While clearly not a solution that would be needed in a stable, mature market, it is exactly this type of flexibility that transit operators want and need in the rapidly evolving early days of the transition to electrified transit solutions.
BYD has emerged as the early leader in the electric transportation space, having delivered more than 50,000 fully electric buses to customers around the world, with more than 16,000 of its electric buses roaming the streets of its home city of Shenzhen, China, alone.
Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
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