BYD Motors Inc. says the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has completed Altoona testing of BYD's 40-foot, all-electric bus.
The testing, which is conducted at the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center in Pennsylvania, is the standard, unbiased program for checking transit vehicles' reliability and in-service performance against an established set of test procedures.
‘The Altoona staff were professional and accommodating, guiding BYD through the process and ensuring all testing met the federal standards,’ says Stella Li, president of BYD Motors. ‘The FTA was 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's electric bus has no transmission, clutches or drivetrain – it uses two in-wheel-drive motors powered by batteries. The company says the bus can drive continuously for up to 24 hours on a single charge.
The 40-foot BYD bus is the first of three different size options that will be offered in the U.S., the company says. BYD will soon commence Altoona testing of its 60-foot BRT-style electric bus.
