Howard County Transit, a division of the Regional Transit Authority of Central Maryland, has taken delivery of three 35-foot BYD K9S battery-electric buses – the first electric transit buses in the state, according to BYD.

An inductive charging station will be installed on the Green Line in downtown Columbia to allow the buses to top up their batteries en route. They can also be plugged in for a full charge before and after service. The BYD K9S has a range of 161 miles. Combining inductive and plug-in charging, the buses have the range to complete any route in the Howard County system.

The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) will evaluate the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the new e-buses.

“I want to congratulate Howard County on being the first to bring green bus transportation to the state of Maryland,” said Macy Neshati, Senior Vice President, BYD Heavy Industries. “We know this was the right choice for Howard County, and we look forward to the real-world data that CTE’s study produces on the effectiveness of battery-electric bus technology.”

Source: BYD