BYD to supply Colombia’s largest 100% electric bus fleet

Contxto – BYD, the fast-growing Chinese battery and auto manufacturer, won the bidding to become Medellín’s main electric bus supplier.

The company will deploy 64 electric buses, with capacity of 80 passengers each, by the second half of 2019 turning Medellín’s new fleet into Colombia’s largest, and slightly behind Santiago de Chile, as Latin America’s largest.

We will turn Medellín into the capital of electric mobility in Latin America.

Federico Gutiérrez, Mayor of Medellín

The Chinese company BYD won a Metroplús’ tender, which is the rapid transit system of the city.

In a statement, the company assures that the delivery of these 100% electric buses will be the largest fleet of “purely electric” buses in Colombia.

Covering over 300km on a daily basis, these vehicles will require less than two hours of recharging each day, and there will be strategic spots across the city to facilitate access to energy.

Back in 2017, Medellín made its first purchase of buses to BYD. An all-electric bus of 18 meters, the K11, which, according to the company, “obtained excellent results during these last 9 months”.

BYD established in Shenzhen (southeast of China), has also presence in Bogotá and other Latin American countries such as Ecuador and Chile.