Chinese BYD: We won biggest order for electric buses in US! Cheers!
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This is the biggest order for a pure electric bus in the United States.
The long Beach Transit Board made a historic decision today.
Kenneth McDonad, Long Beach Transit CEO
The Long Beach Transit board awarded an $11.7 million contract to Los Angeles-based BYD Motors Inc to manufacture 10 battery-powered electric buses and charging systems.
The transit authority, which serves portions of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, will order 10 battery-powered buses with options for its partner agencies to buy as many as 50 more.
"The long Beach Transit Board made a historic decision today that will not only benefit our customers, but will also be a win for the community," Long Beach Transit CEO Kenneth McDonad said in a statement.
The buses will be zero-emission, McDonald said, adding that they will be the "the cleanest bus we have offered to date" and on the "leading edge of technology in the industry."
According to BYD Motors, over the next 5 years, the implementation of 60 BYD electric buses could save Southern California from 124,757,730 lbs. of Carbon Emissions. To manage these equivalent emissions, it would take the planting of 525,691.48 trees, or foresting an area the size of 365 football fields.
Additionally, 60 electric buses operating 150 miles each day, 365 days a year could save operators and Southern California municipalities more than 15 million dollars in Diesel Fuel over the next five years.
Over the next 10 years, Long Beach Transit expects to be at least 90 percent alternatively fueled, Kevin Lee, a spokesman for Long Beach Transit told media. ■