(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
Making further inroads in its sale of pure electric buses in Australia, Chinese battery and vehicle maker BYD has announced an expansion of its pure electric buses to Brisbane airport. The sale comes just eight months after making its commercial debut at the country’s busiest airport in Sydney.
The fleet of eleven 12-meter BYD electric buses will be fully operational in February 2018 as a shuttle service between the airport’s domestic and international terminals. The vehicles will be run by Carbridge, an Australian based world leader in aviation passenger ground transportation who operates BYD electric buses, the Electric Blu, in the Sydney Airport.
“This signifies a milestone for us in Australia, and we are heartened to have more people in Australia support the state-of-the-art electric public transport that we provide,” said Liu Xueliang, General Manager of BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division.
The 12-meter BYD electric bus has a carrying capacity of 70 passengers; features purpose-designed luggage storage racks, and three full size double doors making boarding and alighting more efficient. In addition the buses have GPS next stop announcements, driver monitoring and real time tracking data, meaning issues can be immediately identified and responded to in real time.
Replacing the current fleet for electric buses will result in a reduction of 250 tons of carbon emissions each year, equivalent to taking 100 cars off the road.
Brisbane airport is the closest airport to Queensland’s Gold Coast, a popular holiday destination for visitors to Australia. Around 22.5 million passengers travelled through the airport in 2016, making the airport the third busiest in Australia by passenger traffic.
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million is now worth roughly $1.8 billion.
For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.