BYD (Build Your Dreams) announced it will build battery-electric buses for Tampa International Airport in Florida. The buses will be built at the company’s U.S. Coach & Bus factory in Lancaster, California.
The airport plans to deploy four BYD 40-foot K9Ms to transport workers from an employee parking lot to the main terminal. The zero-emission BYD buses will replace existing CNG buses that are nearing the end of their service life.
“BYD’s innovative zero-emission bus technology is a perfect fit for Tampa International Airport’s drive to be an industry leader in sustainability,” said BYD North America Senior Vice President Patrick Duan. “With their defined routes, airport shuttles are a natural next step for transportation electrification. We look forward to supporting the airport as they put these buses into service and as they pursue further green technologies for their operations.”
The battery-electric, zero-emission K9M has 37+1 seats, a range of 155 miles, and can be rapidly charged in 2 to 3 hours.
Tampa International Airport is the latest such facility to purchase BYD zero-emission buses.
Other airports deploying BYD buses include:
- Kansas City International Airport, which has seven 30-foot BYD battery-electric K7Ms.
- Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which operates two 40-foot K9Ms.
- Los Angeles World Airports, BYD’s biggest airport customer to date, operates 20 of BYD’s 60-foot articulated K11Ms.
BYD’s high quality zero-emission buses not only meet, but exceed, Federal Transit Administration “Buy America” requirements, incorporating more than 70% U.S. content. BYD is America’s first battery-electric bus manufacturer with both a unionized workforce and a Community Benefits Agreement, which sets goals for hiring veterans, single parents, second chance citizens, and others facing hurdles in obtaining manufacturing employment.
