June 7th, 2019 by Kyle Field
183 more BYD electric buses are coming to Santiago, Chile, later this summer according to the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hutt. The new buses will join the 100 electric buses that BYD and local partner Enel brought into the capital last December.
The new BYD buses will arrive in August and will be integrated into the existing Metbux fleet to service the popular Avenida Grecia route in Santiago. When they go into service in the fourth quarter of the year, Avenida Grecia will be one step closer to becoming the first electric corridor in Latin America.
100 BYD buses were delivered to Santiago in December 2018. Image courtesy: BYD
In the fourth quarter, an additional 25 electric buses will be added to the fleet for a total of more than 400 fully electric buses operating in Santiago. At that point, Santiago will take the prestigious position of the city with the second largest number of electric buses outside of China
Transport Minister Hutt said that the city started 2019 with just 203 electric buses and will end the year with more than double that number. It is an impressive example of just how quickly a city can convert its transit fleets to zero emissions vehicles if it is truly dedicated.
The conversion to electric transit buses in Chile may be starting in Santiago, but similar plans are in action across the country. The city of Concepción is on track to follow Santiago, with more cities in tow.
“We hope that during the next year, through the bidding process, electromobility will continue to be strengthened in the capital and in regions,” the director of the Metropolitan Public Transport Board, Fernando Saka said. “This not only contributes to the environment, but also to the quality of life of the people. In this way, we will also comply with the commitments we have made with the Paris Agreement and decarbonization.”
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