The Chinese firm BYD is the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer – it has delivered over 300 units worldwide, and has orders for 1300 more in 2012.

The city of Windsor, Ontario became the first in North America to plan a major deployment of electric buses this week, as Mayor Eddie Francis signed a letter of intent to purchase up to ten 40-foot electric buses from Chinese firm BYD in 2012. The city is also talking with BYD about manufacturing buses in Ontario in the future. Some of Transit Windsor’s bus lines cross the border into Detroit, so this will be the world’s first international electric bus service, for those who keep track of such things.

BYD is the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer – it has delivered over 300 units worldwide, and has orders for 1300 more in 2012. The batteries used in the Windsor buses are said to be the most environmentally friendly available, as they use an iron-phosphate design that contain no heavy metals or toxic electrolytes. Transit Windsor and partner Enwin Utilities are developing a plan to repurpose the bus batteries into fixed energy storage stations when the buses retire in 12 to 15 years.

Stella Li, President of BYD Motors, said, “BYD has been delighted to see Windsor’s leadership, especially that of Mayor Eddie Francis and his Transit and Enwin Utilities team members. They truly have an understanding of the responsibility of government to drive not only economic recovery of our cities and nations, but to do so while not harming the environment.”

Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis stated, “one of our primary goals was to position Windsor among the first cities in North America to pioneer the efficient use of electric buses within its public transit authority and to establish Windsor as a hub for the development, manufacture and commercialization of energy products including electric buses.”

www.byd.com