BYD's stand at RNTP Marseille this week underlines the company's commitment to the French bus market, the largest in Europe.
Not only is BYD commissioning a new bus assembly plant in Beauvais north of Paris but the 12m pure electric bus on show is one of the first to be fully built in Europe – at BYD's first European assembly facility in Komarom, northern Hungary.
Aside from a new frontal appearance – setting the standard for all future BYD ebuses – the 12m ebus at RNTP has a number of features that will also be common to future BYD models including: No batteries in the passenger saloon, new ergonomic drivers compartment, LED lighting and a new automatic battery compartment sprinkler system.
The BYD ebus range now comprises a completely new midibus (being unveiled at Busworld in Belgium on 20 October), 10.2m, 10.8m and 12m single-deckers, an 18m artic and double-deckers.
The 12m ebus can be supplied with two or three passenger doors and a range of seating options from 27 to 36. The total passenger capacity in all versions is 90 within a gross vehicle weight of 19 tonnes.
"We are undertaking considerable investment in France – €10m at Beauvais alone – and we expect production to start in the first half of 2018", says Isbrand Ho, MD BYD Europe.
“Along with the UK, Benelux and Spain, France is a key market for BYD.”
The Beauvais project calls for around 100 jobs to be created in the initial phase.
The production facility will occupy 32,000 sq m of a site totalling nearly 80,000 sq m, and will assemble up to 200 vehicles a year—single-deck buses and coaches—in its first phase.
Other vehicles may be added as BYD expands its product line. In addition to bus assembly, BYD plans an after-sales unit for maintenance and repairs, as well as a logistics centre for spare parts. In the longer term, a test centre for batteries could be added.
