Albuquerque, NM, rejecting all BYD ART buses, switching to non electric
Mayor Tim Keller announced the city’s plans to reject and return all 15 of the 60-foot electric buses manufactured by BYD, also known as Build Your Dreams.
“When we started running the buses on test runs, we found major problems with the battery range, the brakes and some electrical issues,” Keller said. “They seem to be things that were already on the ‘to be fixed list’ but they started getting worse.” Keller said city officials have no confidence that the issues regarding battery life, an initial problem with the buses, are “something we can overcome.” Another issue, Keller said, is the batteries heating up when they are charged or used.
The contract calls for buses that can operate for 275 miles, but city officials have said the buses can’t go more than 177 miles before they need recharging.
The city has been actively looking at alternative bus options. Keller said the city has reserved slots for 15 new, non-electric buses from a “well established American company that makes buses all the time.”
But that means more wait time – 18 months for delivery.
https://www.abqjournal.com/1246094/abq-rejecting-all-byd-art-buses-switching-to-non-electric.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
