Aside from selling thousands of electric buses around the world, BYD has a new bus mission — revolutionizing the school bus. They are rolling out a new Type D electric school bus.
The company claims that it has “unparalleled safety features and performance, wrapped in a sleek design that will have students wanting to step onboard.”
Like with its other electric buses, BYD offers various lengths — 35 feet, 38 feet, and 40 feet in this case. The bus can seat up to 84 kids. It claims that the bus design can even reduce bullying. Seriously.
The new BYD electric bus also comes with a sizable 155 mile range rating. It can also offer bi-directional charging (aka vehicle-to-grid technology).
“School buses can be charged overnight when energy demand is low, and clean emission free energy can be fed back into the classroom during school hours when the bus is parked keeping classrooms well-lit and students and teachers plugged-in,” the company writes.
The Chinese automaker includes various special features, such as “electronic stability control to aid handling, a collision avoidance system, and a 360-degree monitoring system to detect pedestrians and cyclists when the bus is operating at slow speeds.” It can also come with “IMMI’S Safeguard 3-point lap-shoulder belts, integrated child seats, and portable restraints.”
Improvements in the design of the bus seem to center around the driver, which by itself might increase safety substantially — as the driver is the core of safe driving until self-driving AI comes along.
“The driver’s area features comfort seats, an 18-inch power steering wheel and telescopic steering column, high level of visibility, and easy to reach control switches. The driver can also control the air conditioning over the cockpit in addition to controlling the system for passengers.”
The new electric bus also uses BYD’s tried & true lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. It comments that its electric school bus can cut fuel and maintenance costs by up to 60%.
Reference- BYD Press Release, Inside EVs, Clean Technica