Chinese Automobile Manufacturer BYD in a deal signed with Egypt’s Passengers Transportation Authority will provide electric buses which will see the city of Alexandria be the first in the North Afrikan country to have 15 electric buses. These will be part of the city’s public transport fleet.
According to reports, 18 electricity charging points for the buses will be installed across the city as well
It is reported that China’s BYD is in the process of ramping up expansion across various markets globally. It’s also not BYD’s first foray into Cairo as their sedan apparently accounts for 40% of Cairo’s taxi fleet.
In a statement released BYD said, “The company won a competitive tender to provide its K9 pure electric buses after a call for submissions was made in April 2017. Countries such as Australia, the USA, UK, Japan, and Italy operate the K9 in various scenarios. Powered by BYD’s proprietary battery technology, the K9 has a range of 250 kilometers.”
According to iAfrikan, BYD is also planning to assemble electric buses and electric cars in Egypt, construct a BYD SkyRail monorail through Alexandria’s city center and possibly develop the country’s solar energy sector.
“The tide is turning towards a greener way of living. We need to give ourselves a fighting chance if we are to mitigate the effects of climate change,” said AD Huang, the General Manager at BYD Middle East and Africa Auto Sales Division.
The introduction of electric buses will be welcome in an already crowded Alexandria considering the daily air pollution generated by cars, taxis and other forms of transportation. Air pollution in Alexandria is considered relatively high in comparison to other similar cities.
Egypt’s Passengers Transportation Authority and BYD have said that the first bus will be delivered within two months, in March 2018. The other 14 electric buses are expected to arrive in Alexandria in June 2018.
