(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
COMO Connect, the public bus system owned by the City of Columbia, Missouri, is expanding its bus fleet by adding zero-emission, all-electric buses into service starting in June to better serve customers and reduce operational costs.
The three (3), 30-ft, low-floor, all-electric transit buses will be supplied by BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, with a battery that provides 144 miles per charge and can be recharged in only two to three hours.
The three, all-electric buses will provide significant cost savings in addition to dramatically improving local air quality by eliminating tailpipe emissions. The emissions benefits of operating one all-electric bus are so great that COMO estimates that it is roughly equivalent to removing at least 70 passenger vehicles from the road daily.
Once in service, COMO Connect’s three electric buses will be equivalent to removing 210 passenger vehicles from the road in the community daily.
“These new all-electric buses match COMO Connect’s goals and vision for creating a transportation system for the future in Columbia,” said Drew Brooks, multi-modal manager for COMO Connect.
“We leased an all-electric bus from BYD earlier as a demonstration and were very pleased with the results. The electric buses provided operational and fuel cost savings, were reliable on our service routes, and eliminated emissions thereby helping to improve our local air quality.”
“BYD’s all-electric buses provide a multitude of benefits to operator and passenger,” said Macy Neshati, vice president of Coach and Bus for BYD. “The operator enjoys having a reliable bus that saves money and the passenger enjoys having a quieter, comfortable bus that is helping the environment by eliminating harmful emissions that cause air pollution.” The buses are equipped with BYD-designed and built Iron-Phosphate batteries, delivering 197 kWh of power that come with a 12 year warranty, the industry’s longest electric battery warranty available.
BYD’s pure electric buses and taxis are currently operating in over 200 cities in 48 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Thailand, and China.
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares, and today owns roughly 9.1% of the company.
Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million is now worth roughly $1.77 billion.
For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.
© 2016 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.