BYD ramps-up eBus deliveries as Unibuss takes on 23

Europe’s leading eBus manufacturer, BYD, has reaffirmed its commitment to public transport customers following the delivery of 23 new 12-metre BYD eBuses to Unibuss, one of Norway’s primary public transport providers.

The eBus handover to Unibuss coincides with the original lead time put in place after the order was confirmed in November 2019, and despite coronavirus lockdown restrictions over recent months. Yesterday’s delivery further demonstrates BYD’s pledge to support public transport operators throughout Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12-metre BYD eBus in Oslo

[Picture Source: Unibuss]

The new fleet also signals the emergence of Unibuss as one of the largest electric bus operator in the Nordic region, as the company continues to spearhead the move to sustainable public transport. In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, Unibuss operates more than half of the city’s electric bus fleet.

An official hand-over took place yesterday afternoon in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, with Øystein Svendsen, CEO at Unibuss, and a representative from Ruter, the local Public Transport Authority, in attendance.

[From left to right]: Øystein Svendsen, CEO of Unibuss; Siân Ambrose, Area Manager in Ruter; and Arild Hermstad, Vice Mayor for Environment and Transport in Oslo

[Picture source: Unibuss]

The new Unibuss fleet goes into service immediately on several routes in Vestre Aker and Bærum Øst in and around Oslo.

With summer temperatures rising across Europe, this latest delivery provides another opportunity for BYD’s Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) to demonstrate both its operational efficiency and reliability by ensuring optimum battery performance, irrespective of temperature extremes, at the same time prolonging service life. BYD eBuses are now in successful operation in climates spanning the length and breadth of Europe; as far south as southern Spain and Portugal, and also in the far north of Sweden close to the arctic circle.

“Oslo’s public transport system is switching-on to electric mobility,” said Unibuss CEO, Øystein Svendsen, “and Unibuss is at the forefront of the change. This latest BYD fleet will deliver a significant reduction in our carbon footprint, and we will look to introduce electric power on even more routes across the city in future. The BYD eBus fleet,” he said, “offers our passengers transport in and around Oslo which is safe, quiet, comfortable and, of course, 100% emissions free.”

“We’re starting to ramp-up our customer deliveries,” said BYD Europe Managing Director, Isbrand Ho, “and we’re starting to see signs of increased activity in the market. It’s Public Transport Authorities like Ruter, and operators like Unibuss, that are leading the charge towards emissions-free, pure-electric public transport, and,” he said, “we’re very pleased to be producing products which they, and their passengers, feel is a long-term solution to safe, clean, sustainable public transport.”

BYD’s total vehicle numbers in Europe are now in excess of 1300 units, with the company’s quest to bring electric mobility to towns and cities gaining popularity with an increasing number of Public Transport Authorities across the continent.