106 BYD E-Buses For Finnish Transport Company

Electric bus manufacturer BYD said it has entered the Finnish market for the first time after securing an order for 106 buses with Nobina, one of Finland’s and Scandinavia’s largest Public Transport Operators (PTOs) and a longtime BYD customer.

The order, the largest ever for eBuses in Finland, includes 64 units for Nobina services in Helsinki and 42 units for Nobina’s operation in Turku.

The announcement also signals a ‘triple landmark’, with Nobina becoming the first PTO in Europe to order BYD’s latest 50 ft., three-axle low-floor eBus model. A total of 42 of the new vehicles will go into service on Nobina’s operation in Turku, on Finland’s southwest coast, in the summer of 2021.

The new 50 ft. BYD bus offers a 47+3 seating capacity and delivers a single-charge range of 400 km (approximately 250 miles) under test conditions, the company said.

BYD said its relationship with Nobina is particularly successful, with its pure-electric, 100% emissions-free eBuses in operation with the carrier in Sweden, Norway and now Finland. BYD now has over 400 eBuses either delivered or on order with PTO fleets in 20 towns and cities throughout Scandinavia. After five years operating electric BYD vehicles, Nobina has racked up over 7.0 million ‘electric km’ (more than 4.3 million miles), BYD said.

Nobina’s fleet order for its Helsinki operation – with deliveries to begin in 2021 – includes 20 BYD 40 ft. low-floor models and 44 BYD 60 ft. articulated buses.

With BYD’s already significant presence in the Nordic region continuing to grow, this latest order with Nobina follows recent handovers with other high-profile PTOs in Norway – all delivered on time despite coronavirus restrictions, BYD said.

“We at Nobina Finland are excited to commence BYD eBus operations in the Turku area next year.” said Petri Auno, CEO, Nobina Oy. “A large part of the bus fleet in the Turku region will shift to the benefits of eMobility and towards a more environmentally friendly future. Our route network is extensive, so a large number of passengers stand to benefit from the new vehicles.”

BYD Europe Managing Director, Isbrand Ho, added, “We’re very pleased that our relationship with Nobina continues to go from strength-to-strength, and we’re especially pleased that Nobina is the first PTO to select our new 15 m model.

“The Nordic region leads the rest of Europe in the adoption of electrification,” he said, “providing evidence that electric mobility delivers tangible operational benefits for Public Transport Operators, alongside safe, quiet and comfortable local journeys for passengers. With our extensive experience in battery technology and energy management, we will continue to deliver total eMobility solutions for bus operators.”

BYD’s appearance for the first time in Finland follows soon after breaking into the German market with 22 eBuses for two PTOs in North Rhine-Westphalia, and also BYD’s first fleet delivery in Hungary at the end of July – 10 low-floor 12 m models to the city of Pécs.

Nobina is the Nordic region’s largest and most experienced public transport company, delivering contracted public bus transport services in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.