The Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center under the Larson Institute and sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), last week completed the FTA’s “new model bus testing program” of the first 40-foot, all-electric bus. The BYD Electric Bus has successfully completed the Altoona structural integrity testing program in a fast 116 track days with full reports published soon. This is the world’s first and only long-range battery electric transit bus in mass production and the only bus capable of driving continuously for up to 24 hours on-a-single-charge that has also received TVM approvals and qualified for FTA funded projects.
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“The Altoona staff were professional and accommodating guiding BYD through the process and ensuring all testing met the Federal standards,” said BYD Motors President Stella Li. “The FTA were supportive of our efforts to ensure that this vehicle, the first 40-foot, all-electric bus to be tested met the North American standards and was properly tested within the guidelines. BYD will commence shortly with the testing of the BYD 60-foot Bus-Rapid-Transit (BRT) style all-electric bus at Altoona, another first for the Transit Industry. We believe that our 40-foot bus is one of the most structurally sound transit buses on roads today. Yet like all manufacturers, our engineers found ways, through this testing, to make improvements to ensure the sort of long-lasting quality BYD has become known for.”
BYD’s electric bus has no transmission, clutches or drive train but has instead two robust in-wheel-drive motors powered by batteries on board the bus. BYD sees this recent accomplishment as the first of many, in what will be a long and productive relationship with the Altoona Bus Testing and Research Center. The 40-foot BYD Electric Bus is just the first of three different size options that will be offered to the United States for the 2014/2015 deliveries. Next at Altoona will be the 60-foot articulated BYD All-Electric bus.