Las Cruces City Council has approved the purchase of five BYD buses, BYD said in a press release. The K8M buses are 35-foot battery electric buses used for the city’s RoadRUNNER transit fleet. The K8M is an American-crazy transit bus that can accommodate up to 33 people.
It comes with a LFP battery of up to 435 kWh and can be fully charged within 3 hours. It also scores high in the Federal Transit Administration’s model bus testing program for safety, reliability, durability, and maintainability.
BYD’s contract with the City of Las Cruces, NM is for a total of 5 years and under that contract the City will purchase five K8Ms. There is also the option to buy seven more buses. The new K8M should arrive in Las Cruces next fall (2022) and be ready for use before Christmas 2022. The new fully electric buses will replace older, environmentally harmful buses.
The new buses are manufactured in an ISO 9001 certified American factory and meet the strict Buy America standards, according to the press release. The length of the buses and coaches included in the contract is:
- 30 foot K7M
- 35-foot K8M
- 40-foot K9M
- 60 feet K11M
- 23 foot C6M (railcar)
- 40-foot C9M (railcar)
- 45-foot C10M (railcar)
Mike Bartholomew, the city’s traffic manager, discussed the city’s sustainability initiatives and the opportunity presented by BYD:
“As part of its sustainability initiatives, Las Cruces City Council is committed to making the city a role model for sustainable practices, including moving from city fleet vehicles to electric vehicles.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to switch to a fully electric fleet in the urban RoadRUNNER transit service.”
Patrick Duan, senior vice president of BYD North America, found BYD was a perfect fit for the city.
“BYD buses, known across the country for their style, safety and innovation, are a perfect match for Las Cruces.
“We see a large and growing market for our brand in New Mexico and know that residents and drivers alike will appreciate this clean, quiet, and efficient addition to the city’s fleet.”
This news follows news that New Mexico opened its arms to BYD earlier this year.
Officials in New Mexico selected BYD to partake in a statewide sales agreement that allows transportation companies across the Land of Enchantment and the United States to purchase American-made BYD coaches and buses. Read more at: https://t.co/t3JuSN64x5
– BYD (@BYDCompany) June 19, 2021
Earlier this month BYD posted some notable statistics on its battery-electric buses on Twitter. In total, BYD has sold and prevented more than 68,000 buses worldwide:
- 114,947,040 tons of C02
- Emissions worth 1,836,432 cars
- 80,160 tons of nitrogen oxides
- 23,805,600 lb of diesel particulate matter
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