Tel Aviv is introducing the first full-size pure electric buses in Israel. BYD, the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer will provide its electric buses to Dan Bus – the bus operator in Tel Aviv, via BYD’s local importer and distributor Clal Motors. The agreement was signed by Dan Bus Chairman, Michal Nagar; Dan Bus CEO, Shmuel Rafaeli; Clal Motors CEO, Doron Vadai; and Senior Director of BYD, Henry Li.
The aim of this trial is to replace approximately half of Dan Bus's fleet, which now amounts to 1,300 buses and minibuses. Investment in the importation of electric buses to Israel is expected to amount to hundreds of NIS millions in the near future, subject to how well electric buses will suit to the local operating conditions.
Doron Vadai, the CEO of Clal Motors stated, "BYD's electric bus is the perfect solution for the city of Tel Aviv, reducing both emissions and noise for the benefit of the citizens of Tel Aviv. This pilot will make DAN one of the pioneers in the zero emission public transportation era in the world."
Henry Li, the senior director of BYD added, "Our electric bus has proven that it not only significantly reduces pollution and noise in cities, but it has also significantly cut the operating expenses versus natural-gas and conventional diesel buses. Our electric bus has been tested in many different countries. We are confident it will suit the local operating conditions and hope to deliver more and more to Israel in the near future".
The importation of electric buses in Israel is highly supported and encouraged by various governmental ministries, headed by Israeli transportation minister, Mr. Israel Kats, who guided the ministry of Transportation to remove restrictions that may delay the process of importation.
The 12-metre long BYD electric bus is able to run 250 km (155 miles) on a single charge in urban conditions. This allows a travelling range that is sufficient for one whole shift in the majority of Dan's routes. The BYD electric bus features many world leading technologies: the Fe battery (Iron Phosphate battery) fitted in the BYD electric bus boasts the highest safety, longest service life and most environmentally-friendly rechargeable chemistry and contains no heavy metals or toxic electrolytes; The internally developed rear drive axle installed in the BYD electric bus is one of the core technologies of BYD’s electric buses. The rear drive axle system integrates the wheel-hub drive and regenerative braking technologies. The AC charging system is BYD’s own newly developed technology for its electric vehicles. Since the AC charging system has a direct connection to the grid, it can not only charge the batteries but also transmit electricity into the grid from the batteries.
BYD electric buses are now in regular service and have been tested in several cities in China, Europe and North America, making BYD the largest electric bus manufacturer in the world. The accumulated mileage achieved for BYD electric buses by the end of July 2012 has reached over 8.23 million kilometers (or 5.1 million miles).