Port operator, Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP), will begin unloading electric powered buses at its terminal in Malmö, Sweden in November this year. The move follows a contract signed with Chinese vehicle maker BYD back in May. The first consignment will consist of seven buses that are destined for local passenger transport in the Swedish cities of Eskilstuna and Ängelholm.
“We are extremely pleased about the agreement with BYD, which reflects CMP’s deliberate strategy in terms of what is usually called rolling freight, i.e. cars and heavier vehicles such as buses and lorries,” said Johan Röstin, CEO of CMP.
Malmö is Scandinavia’s largest port of entry for vehicles and CMP is currently working in conjunction with 20 different vehicle brands. These include Toyota, Honda, Peugeot, Citroën, Ford, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Isuzu.
”CMP specialises in logistics, and the company’s facilities and geographic location make it ideal for handling our buses,” said Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Europe. “Moreover, CMP offers the option of establishing pre-delivery inspection [PDI] and other services that may be important to us in the future,” said Ho.
The Malmö Autolink terminal covers 97,000 sq.m and has a 3,000 sq.m PDI facility.
Since it launched its first fully electric bus in 2010, BYD has sold 3,500 and reports a further 4,000 on order.
”We can observe that the Swedish market is moving towards electric powered buses and that there is a growing awareness of this type of vehicle,” said Ho.
”Furthermore, both CMP and ourselves are open to a long-term development in which working vehicles at the port terminals are electric powered,” added Ho. “BYD has already produced prototypes for this type of vehicle, which we are also hoping will be a part of our future collaboration.”
