Unicamp starts operating BYD electric 100% bus

The adoption of the vehicle is part of an R&D project by CPFL Energia in partnership with the university

A 100% electric bus manufactured by BYD entered circulation last week, on the Unicamp (State University of Campinas) campus. The adoption of the vehicle is part of an R&D (Research and Development) project by CPFL Energia, in partnership with the university, Time Energy and Porakê.

In addition to the bus, the project also foresees an electric station – installed in the central library parking lot – which will be used to recharge the battery. The vehicle will operate in the same fleet as other internal ring roads already existing at the university, following the same route.

Created from Unicamp's Sustainable Campus project, the novelty is financed by CPFL Energia through the ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency) R&D program. 

The study will evaluate the economic benefits of this type of vehicle, the charging performance at the charging station and compare the environmental impacts in relation to diesel buses, following a research concept called a living laboratory (Living Lab).

According to BYD, a monitoring system will extract a series of relevant information such as position, speed, time, acceleration, among others, essential for good fleet management, traffic, public roads and even pollution monitoring. 

The project has already received contributions of R$ 3.4 million, contributing to the training of undergraduate students, masters and doctors at the university. In total, the investment will be more than R$ 6 million. It is expected to be completed in October 2021, but the bus will continue in circulation after the end of the studies.

The director of BYD Brasil's bus division, Marcello Von Schneider, highlighted the importance of investments in R&D for the introduction and promotion of new technologies in Brazil. “The more data and scientific information we can gather in research of this size, the greater the contribution will be to the popularization of electrified fleets in the country. Important cities in Brazil such as São Paulo, Campinas and Brasília have already started the process of electrifying their fleets,” said Von Schneider. 

Picture of Mateus Badra
Mateus Badra
Journalist graduated from PUC-Campinas. He worked as a producer, reporter and presenter on TV Bandeirantes and Metro Jornal. Has been following the Brazilian electricity sector since 2020.

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