BYD, here comes the electric school bus for the US

BYD is introducing a battery-electric Type D school bus. With length options of 35, 38, and 40 feet, BYD’s Type D battery-electric school bus can seat up to 84 passengers, and can be equipped with an ADA liftgate. The bus has a range of up to 155 miles on a single charge, BYD says.

Given the strong push by the current administration to zero emission vehicles, electric school buses are gaining more traction in the North American bus market: just a few days Lion Electric scored the largest order so far with 260 units for Quebec, and according to forecasts, 27,000 units are to be built in ten years in the US.

BYD electric school bus

The vehicle features an electronic stability control to aid handling, a collision avoidance system, and a 360-degree monitoring system to detect pedestrians and cyclists when the bus is operating at slow speeds. In addition, BYD adds an additional layer of protection for children as they exit the bus with its Predictive Stop Arm, which monitors approaching traffic and notifies students when it may not be safe to cross.

The driver’s area features an 18-inch power steering wheel and telescopic steering column, high level of visibility, and easy to reach control switches. The driver can also control the air conditioning over the cockpit in addition to controlling the system for passengers.

At the heart of the BYD Type D is its lithium iron phosphate battery combined with BYD dual in-wheel traction motors.

BYD electric school bus, with bi-directional charging

Regarding bi-directional charging opportunities, BYD adds that «School buses can be charged overnight when energy demand is low, and clean emission free energy can be fed back into the classroom during school hours when the bus is parked keeping classrooms well-lit and students and teachers plugged-in».

“We are raising the bar for design, innovation, range and quality, giving parents peace of mind knowing their children are benefitting from the safest school bus anywhere,” said Stella Li, President of BYD North America. “At the same time, our buses will give operators the performance and cost savings that will make migrating to zero emission technology affordable and practical.”

“From the beginning, our team has always been focused on many key features,” said Samuel Kang, BYD’s Head of Total Technology Solutions. “We believed the Type D electric bus needed to be appealing to kids while at the same time offer the upmost safety features and driver ergonomics, be equipped with a safe, high-performance battery, and have plenty of storage capacity for road trips. The BYD Type D school bus achieves all those goals.”