Three More BYD Buses For Kansas City Airport

BYD announced it has delivered three of its K7M buses to the Kansas City international Airport (KCI), the first in the nation to use battery electric buses to serve its passengers.

The 30 ft. K7M buses will serve as parking lot shuttles, bringing passengers to the airport terminals. The buses joint four other K7M’s bought by KCI in 2017.

“We are honored that the forward-thinking leaders of KCI have once again chosen BYD buses to serve its passengers,” said Patrick Duan, BYD vice president North America. “These battery electric buses will help keep Kansas City’s air clean and lower the airport’s operating costs and at the same time provide customers with a quiet, comfortable ride

The K7M has a 195.2 in. wheelbase, a gross vehicle weight of 29,762 lb. and is designed to seat 22 passengers. The chassis incorporates a ZF front axle with a BYD in-wheel drive axle in the rear. Iron phosphate batteries with a 215 kWh capacity drive a pair of 90 kW ac synchronous motors that give the vehicle a top speed of 56 mph and a range of up to 150 miles. The batteries can be fully charged in 2.5 to 3 hours, BYD said.

“The Kansas City aviation department prides itself on being at the leading edge of implementing the latest in environmentally responsible efforts,” said Kansas City Director of Aviation Pat Klein. “In 1997 we deployed a fleet of the first compressed natural gas mass transit vehicles in Kansas City and we improved upon that milestone by purchasing BYD electric buses in 2017 to further lessen fleet emissions. Those buses have performed well and we are happy to bring our fleet total to seven.”

The buses were built at BYD’s coach and bus factory in Lancaster Calif.