https://www.miningweekly.com
Africa|Automotive|electrification|Energy|Engineering|engineering news|Infrastructure|Mining|Renewable Energy|Renewable-Energy|Service|Services|System|Testing|Infrastructure
Africa|Automotive|electrification|Energy|Engineering|engineering news|Infrastructure|Mining|Renewable Energy|Renewable-Energy|Service|Services|System|Testing|Infrastructure
africa|automotive|electrification|energy|engineering|engineering-news|infrastructure|mining|renewable-energy|renewable-energy-company|service|services|system|testing|infrastructure

Golden Arrow to acquire 120 electric buses from BYD

23rd August 2024

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

Cape Town’s Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) has signed a deal to acquire 120 electric buses from Chinese automotive powerhouse BYD, following four years of testing.

Delivery of the 65-seater units is scheduled to start later this year, with all the buses expected to be operational before December next year.

The plan is to introduce ten buses a month during 2025, says GABS company engineer Gideon Neethling.

The people carriers are BYD B12 buses, with similar specifications to the bulk of the current Golden Arrow fleet.

The 12.5-m-long electric buses are all equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries.

GABS CEO Francois Meyer says the order marks a turning point in the 163-year-old company’s trajectory.

“This bulk order confirms our commitment to renewable energy and will also provide us with the larger-scale operational data that could pave the way towards full fleet electrification.”

“We are intensively preparing our workforce and infrastructure to operate a system with complex requirements,” adds Neethling.

GABS started testing BYD electric buses in 2020, introducing two buses to its commuter service in 2021.

A third and a fourth bus entered testing in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Neethling tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly that he cannot share the cost of the BYD deal, noting only that it is financed through South Africa’s commercial banks.

He says the buses will be imported in full, with no local content. However, he notes that GABS aims to work with a local bus-body builder to develop a South African body to fit on the imported electric chassis “in the future”.

Neethling says GABS opted for the BYD product as the automaker is a global market leader “with a really good track record” with electric vehicles and battery development.

“The buses are also energy efficient and they come at a reasonable capital cost.”

The buses’ range is just over 200 km, says Neethling.

“That will give us the opportunity to travel up to 400 km per day given a planned mid-day charging opportunity.

“The buses will operate from five of our depots, allowing us to collect bulk operational data and feedback from our passengers for most of our routes.”

Neethling says there will be two charging opportunities a day – one between the daily peaks and one during night-time parking.

GABS has a total bus fleet of 1 200 buses, which means the BYD order electrifies close to 10% of its fleet.

Neethling says the bus operator has not yet decided if it wants a 100% electric fleet.

“The introduction of these buses will allow us to determine the operational and charging challenges when operating 120 electric buses.

“We will use the results to determine what portion of our fleet should be electric buses, and adjust our fleet renewal programme accordingly.”

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

Latest News

Attendees at the latest AMLA workshop
Opinion: Strengthening Africa’s mining future – the crucial role of legal expertise
6th December 2024

Showroom

BOVA Safety Wear
BOVA Safety Wear

BOVA cemented their reputation in Africa by delivering high quality engineering through their range of safety footwear. 21 years after producing...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd

Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa is sole distributors for Goodwin electrically driven, submersible, abrasion resistance slurry pumps.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
6th December 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.131 0.162s - 127pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now