Singapore has received its first pure electric coach by BYD. The 12 meter C9 that can travel up to 250 kilometers on a single charge was presented to the city state as it celebrated 52 years of independence.
Local agent HDT Holdings marked the occasion by transporting attendees of the National Day celebrations in the brand new vehicle before staging a live broadcast by a popular radio station from its spacious interior.
“We are honored to mark Singapore’s National Day by contributing to its move to become a sustainable smart city,” said Liu Xueliang, BYD’s general manager for Asia-Pacific auto sales division. “We hope the delivery of the nation’s first pure electric coach will be the start of many more BYD new energy products to come in Singapore.”
The new pure electric coach will be used to transport school children. It is the latest addition of BYD pure electric vehicles to hit the streets of Singapore, a nation that has undertaken numerous measures to ease urban congestion as well as mitigate the effects of climate change.
In February this year BYD launched Southeast Asia’s biggest fleet of pure electric taxis in partnership with local car sharing service Grab. The introduction of these 100 e6 taxis is estimated to reduce the country’s carbon emissions output by 46,400 tons, a reduction roughly equivalent to saving 26,000 trees.
BYD has established an increasingly stronger presence in Singapore since its market debut with 30 pure electric e6 cars in 2014. In late 2016 BYD ran a successful trial of its pure electric bus. The Shenzhen-based company’s overseas distribution of pure electric vehicles is the largest by a Chinese enterprise.