BYD Motors Inc., a downtown-based electric vehicle maker, has delivered to Anaheim the first two electric buses of a previously announced 40-bus order, BYD announced Feb. 24.
The buses are being manufactured at BYD’s Lancaster factory.
When the order is completed, Anaheim will have one of the largest electric bus fleets in the country, transporting 9 million riders annually, according to BYD. The order will also make more than half the Anaheim Rapid Transit (ART) fleet zero emissions by the end of 2020.
The buses are for a public network of 19 bus routes that serve more than 70 stops in and around Anaheim and Orange County, such as local resorts and attractions including Disneyland, Anaheim Convention Center, Angel Stadium, Disneyland Resort, Downtown Anaheim, Knott’s Berry Farm and The Outlets at Orange.
The vehicles delivered this month are 30-foot, battery-electric buses that will add to ART’s fleet of 81 buses, all of which are either all-electric or run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The new buses will replace aging LNG buses. ART is run by the Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN).
ATN purchased the buses with $28.6 million in grant funding from the California State Transportation Agency, supplied through its Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program for this purpose. The grant also provides funding for 10 small-capacity electric vehicles and a solar-powered maintenance facility to accommodate the new fleet of EVs.
The public transportation service eliminates 3.7 million automobile trips and prevents more than 7,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to its website.
The buses have a 12-year operational lifespan and were manufactured at BYD’s Lancaster factory by members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Union, Local 105. BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, has a workforce of nearly 1,000 employees in North America.
BYD’s largest order to date is a November deal to supply 130 electric buses to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). The EV manufacturer sold its first four buses to LADOT in January 2017.
