Athens was presented for the first time ever with an electric bus, which is silent and has a zero environmental footprint. This 100% electric, the public transport vehicle is 8.7 meters long, and can carry 58 passengers total, 22 of them seated and only needs 2 hours charge and can keep running for 200 kilometres.

Built by Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD, it was presented for the first time in Athens on Tuesday at Aegli Zappiou multiplex by Petros Petropoulos SA, Greek manufacturer and distributor of automotive products.

The BYD bus Thanos Vourdas, secretary general of the Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Ministry, who attended the presentation, said that “an electric bus becomes a reality for the first time in Athens,” underlining that “gradually, we need to introduce electric transport in urban areas,” adding that the ministry is nearing the completion of the agreement regarding the charging bays required for the electric buses.

It also features an aluminum bodywork, 180 KW power housed electric motors, a 250 BHP engine, and 350 NM of torque available upon ignition.

Petropoulos SA said in a statement that after an overnight charge at the depot, the bus can complete a whole day’s schedule without the need to install additional charging docks along the way, thus reducing the costs of running a bus fleet considerably.

Electric vehicles are more profitable, as they require cheaper maintenance than combustion engines, and recharging them is much cheaper than the cost of oil, said BYD Europe Vice President Javier Condizzoch in a written statement.

At least 50,000 BYD electric buses have so far been sold internationally, and BYD has erected three factories in Europe, on top of the 30 currently operating in Asia and the US.

*Source: AMNA