2015-04-07 Item 2 - Attachment 1 - Pre feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes

4.4.1      Tel Aviv, ‘Dan’ bus operator, BYD pilot

Dan is the second largest bus operator in Israel. It is the principal operator within
metropolitan of Tel Aviv area (Gush Dan), and also several intercity lines to Jerusalem.

Pilot details and feedback
   Currently running Dan Route 5 (Tel Aviv) and route 61 (Ramat Gan-Tel Aviva)
   Focused on two (2) key routes that are inner city very high load routes. Bus goes
   approximately 160km per day on this route
   This is the first pilot bus for Dan. Planning on expanding the electric fleet
   Current trial is 12 months. 8 months already conducted
   Considered Solaris and VDL, but both were more costly than the BYD vehicle and could
   not compete with the specs and the service levels
   No indication of price they paid, but cheaper than European models
   Key criterion was based on the current performance of the diesel bus on the same route.
   Key was to provide a reliable bus with a good experience for the driver and passengers
   Maintenance has been very low cost. Expected to be a significant saving compared
   to diesel fleet

   Driver training is critical – for the same bus route, some drivers returned the bus with 7%
   and others with 40% residual charge. Training is critical in order to maximize range
   and create more consistency across the fleet

   Target of pilot is reduction of emissions and improvement in maintenance cost - so far this
   is being achieved
   Key issues and problems with the bus related to the development of specific
   requirements to fit Israeli standards. Significant modifications were required on this
   front. Important to note that BYD were very good with dealing with these modifications
   and were actively flying people over to manage the process in a very proactive and
   professional way
   Air-conditioning can be an issue as it is quite energy intensive (i.e. 10-15 kW). Some
   issues with the air conditioning system were repaired. The system is generally very
   energy intensive and BYD are working to develop an improved system

   Maintenance teams were very responsive often flying people to Israel within 24 hours

Infrastructure
   A 60 kW charger (2x30kW) is deployed at the depot. This is charged at the end of the day
   with an overnight charge. Drivers are responsible for charging. There have been some
   issues with drivers not plugging in properly, so there is need for training on this front. The
   system provided by BYD is quite advanced with automatic and pre-set timers, but the
   experience is that the system should be used in its simplest form so that the driver gets a
   real time confirmation of charging. Generally a simple and effective charging solution
   There has been an issue with the accuracy of the charging unit metering devise.
   Therefore, the operator has deployed an external meter provided by the utility to measure
   the exact amount of electricity being charged
   Some issues with deploying charging infrastructure in public areas, but the depot
   installation was smooth




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