BYD Sold Over 1,000 Electric Buses In Latin America

BYD Sold Over 1,000 Electric Buses In Latin America

/ December 27, 2019 / 867 Views

This milestone puts the Chinese EV maker at the top, with 71% of the EV bus market controlled in Latin America

With the plug-in car and bus sales declining in China, one of their manufacturers is actually achieving pretty good sales numbers in other parts of the world, namely Europe, North America, and South America. Of course, if you follow the world of electric vehicle public transportation even remotely, you’re probably guessing that Chinese manufacturer is BYD – one of the biggest EV makers in the world. Their last milestone was attained in Latin America. It’s there where the Chinese EV maker sold 1,035 electric buses (ordered or delivered). In turn, this makes them the top player in the market with a whopping 71% market share out of 1,462 EV buses in total sold in the aforementioned market. Additionally. out of this total, 619 buses are already in operation (including pilot tests), with 71% of them being BYD-made.

While the rise in Latin America doesn’t come as a surprise, what is somewhat interesting is that the overall sales volume in Latin America dwarfs that in the U.S. by two-fold. Overall, the biggest markets in Latin America right now are Columbia with 443 total EV buses sold (pushed by the most recent order of 379 electric buses) and Chile with 285. In turn, it is expected that the ever-prevalent problem of air pollution in cities like Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Bogota or Rio de Janeiro, is expected to be curbed by the switch to EV power in the future. While some of these cities are not yet equipped with (large) EV public transport fleets, they all have expressed interest in the green public transport technology in the past.

“Electrification success in Chile – A promising example for Latin America

Chile leads the ranking with 285 electric buses, the largest fleet on the continent. The operation of the first 100 BYD electric buses began on December 15, 2018, by Enel and Metbus. After one year, the fleet has traveled a total of 4.5 million kilometers since its deployment, serving more than 13 million users and made 160 thousand trips, saving 21 tons of CO2 emissions.

“This achievement represents our commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable world, which is aligned with the promise that Chile made: that by 2040 all public transport will be electric. We believe that our country has all the right conditions to shorten this period,” said Tamara Berrios, Country Manager of BYD Chile.

This experience has sought to be replicated in other parts of Latin America. Only in 2019, in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, rolled out its first fleet of 20 BYD electric buses; in Mendoza, Argentina, a fleet of 16 BYD buses was launched, while BYD also delivered 15 buses in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Colombia, the company’s 64 electric buses began operations, with BYD also winning the tender for 379 electric buses, which will start operations in Bogotá’s public transit system next year.”

How has Latin America responded to climate change?

Latin America is studying new regulations and commercial models that can facilitate the implementation of electric vehicles, driving the transition to cleaner and more sustainable forms of transport. Local governments have announced their commitments to electrify their public transport. Chile, for example, has announced the total electrification of its public transportation fleets by 2040. Colombia has published its National Electro Mobility Strategy, aimed at 600,000 electric vehicles by 2030, and Ecuador announced that all new vehicles incorporated into the public transport fleet should be electric from 2025.

Need to cut significant CO2 emissions from fuel-powered transport

According to the International Energy Agency, global transport emissions increased by only 0.6% in 2018 (compared to 1.6% annually in the last decade) due to improvements in efficiency, electrification and increased use of biofuels. The transport sector is responsible for approximately a quarter of global carbon emissions (24% of direct CO2 emissions come from the use of combustion vehicles). Road vehicles (cars, trucks, buses and two-and three-wheelers) account for almost three-quarters of CO2 emissions from transport. Without aggressive and sustainable policies, carbon dioxide emissions could double by 2050, so it is necessary to establish a coherent system of incentives to drive the implementation of these policies and reduce emissions.

Source: Inside EVs

Copy link
Powered by Social Snap