BYD wins order for 79 electric buses for south Sweden

The Swedish public transport operator Bergkvarabuss has contracted BYD to supply 79 electric buses for use in Skåne, Sweden’s southernmost province. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of this year.

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The order includes 32 electric buses with a length of 15 meters, 43 units with 13 meters and four 12-meter buses. BYD says it will build some of the vehicles at its production facility in Komárom, Hungary but has not specified which vehicles this will involve.

The order was preceded by new concessions that public transport operator Bergkvarabuss received for the Söderslätt, Österlen and Nordväst areas in southern Sweden. These are located in the said Skåne region, where BYD is now supplying e-buses for the first time. However, in other regions of Sweden and Scandinavia, the Chinese manufacturer has been present with its e-vehicles for some time. BYD says that more than 250 e-buses are now operating in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, with another 250 on order in the Nordic region.

Just a few days ago, BYD began deliveries of a total of 13 electric buses to the northeastern Swedish city of Piteå, near the Arctic Circle. Bus operator Nobina had ordered the electric fleet last year. The electric 12-meter buses are scheduled to go into service starting this summer. Nobina has already ordered more than 300 electric buses from BYD, with more than 160 vehicles currently in service throughout the Nordic region.

Meanwhile, Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Europe, welcomes the latest order and has won Bergkvarabuss as a new customer in Sweden. “We have a growing presence in Scandinavia, and we’re cooperating to very positive effect with public transport operators throughout the region.” He said the Nordic region is leading the way in electrification in Europe.

Update 13 December 2021

BYD has delivered 45 electric buses to operator Bergkvarabuss, in Sweden’s southernmost region, Skåne. The new EVs are part of a larger order of nearly 80 e-buses. What is more, BYD in today’s communication points out that this was the first time pure electric buses would serve regional and long-distance routes in Sweden.

More specifically, once in service, the BYD buses will effectively connect six cities in Skåne, namely Ängelholm, Malmö, Trelleborg, Ystad, Simrishamn and Sjöbo.

According to BYD, the tranche of e-buses that has now arrived at Bergkvarabuss includes four 12-metre models, 23 electric buses measuring 15 metres, and 18 units in the 13-metre category. For example, the 15-metre e-bus delivers up to 400 kilometres on a single charge; the same applies to the 12-metre buses, claims BYD.

BYD must deliver another 34 electric buses to Bergkvarabuss but did not specifically schedule the arrival of the remainder today.

bydeurope.com, bydeurope.com (update 13 Dec ’21)