BYD, China's global pace-setter in the development of electric road transportation, has won a bid to provide the Colombian city of Medellín with 64 pure e-buses. This will become the largest e-bus fleet in Colombia and the second largest in Latin America.

BYD, facing competition from three other manufacturers, won the tender with local operator Metroplús (BRT system). BYD's 12.5-meter K9G pure electric buses will be delivered in the second-half of 2019, accelerating Medellín's efforts to become the regional capital of electricity-based mobility.

City Mayor Federico Gutiérrez said the BYD order was part of Medellín's contribution to the network of world megacities known as C40 to combat climate change.

He said the 64 buses would begin operating in August.

The bus fleet will require less than two hours of recharging daily and will then be able to cover more than 300km, carrying up to 80 passengers. Charging points will be established in different areas of the city to support the operations.

Metroplús bought the city's first 18-meter pure electric articulated BYD K11 bus as early as 2017. The articulated vehicle achieved excellent results during its operations since then, covering more than 50,000km in the first nine months.

In addition, it demonstrated a 60% saving in costs as well as a 75% saving in maintenance compared to a standard diesel-powered articulated bus.

BYD has been active in Colombia for several years. In September 2013, the largest pure electric taxi fleet in Latin America consisting of 45 e6s officially hit the streets of Bogota, followed in September 2015 by the purchase of the first BYD pure electric bus for the city's El Dorado International Airport.

In April 2017, BYD signed an agreement with the Colombian car rental company Localiza to deliver seven e6 taxis, giving the country a total of 80 pure electric taxis at present.

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