The conversion of production to the current requirements of electromobility requires a major technical and economic effort from all vehicle manufacturers worldwide. In the commercial vehicle sector, this poses particular challenges for smaller and medium-sized manufacturers. Various types of co-operation have emerged as one conceivable solution. The Chinese manufacturer BYD has concluded co-operation agreements with several manufacturers in the field of bus and coach construction in various countries, including Europe. BYD hopes that this will facilitate market access in certain regional markets, which are often characterised by national differences. Castrosua, based in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, is a long-established bus and coach builder in the Iberian market and is now utilising BYD E-technology for its previously launched NELEC e-bus model. The pre-series vehicle was already on show at the UITP Summit in Barcelona in summer 2023.
The bus will be marketed as BYD-Castrosua, and the first orders include a series of 50 such 12-metre buses for the Empresa Municipal de Transporte (EMT), the public transport operator of the capital city Madrid. The first vehicles have been delivered and are currently in the commissioning phase at EMT. Operational service started today, on 14 August 2024.
The buses have a battery capacity of 422 kWh and, according to the manufacturer, a theoretical range of over 400 kilometres. However, it remains to be seen how this will prove itself in practice, as the battery is heavily utilised by the A/C alone in addition to the driving performance, especially in the hot summer months with temperatures of around 40 degrees. Like all Madrid city buses, the buses have two doors and offer space for up to 92 passengers. They are registered with EMT under the numbers 766 to 815. Following on from the 65 BYD electric buses supplied by EMT to date, which are purely Chinese-made.
