Belo Horizonte closes R$ 313 million contract to buy 96 electric buses

The City Hall of Belo Horizonte made official the purchase of 96 100% electric buses for public transport in the capital of Minas Gerais. The contracts, signed on September 16, had the extracts published in the Official Gazette of the Municipality on Tuesday (22) and add up to more than R$ 313 million, with resources from the federal program PAC Selections.

The largest volume was allocated to the bodybuilder Caio Induscar, in a contract of R$ 307.6 million with a term of 20 months, counted from the supply order. A second contract, of R$ 5.5 million and valid for 18 months, was signed with Nansen Precision Instruments for the supply and installation of 27 chargers, in addition to the training of operators.

“Electric buses are quieter, do not emit pollutants during operation and represent an advance in the modernization and sustainability of the system,” said the municipal secretary of Urban Mobility, Marco Antônio Silveira.

Four fewer buses

The initial planning of the city hall foresaw 100 units. In June, the bidding was approved for this total for R$ 320.5 million, above the estimate of R$ 317 million released in April, at the opening of the bidding.

According to the municipal administration, after updating the values in the contracting process, the purchase was adjusted to the available resources. Each bus costs about R$ 3.2 million, the same unit value as the homologation, according to the specialized website Diário do Transporte.

The vehicles will be assigned to the operating companies on a lending basis, free loan of an asset, and will enter circulation gradually, according to the manufacturing and delivery schedule. The city hall did not inform when the first ones will start running.

Autonomy of more than 250 km

The buses are of the Mixed BRT type, with five doors, three on the right side and two on the left, which allows boarding both at conventional points and at stations in exclusive corridors. They have air conditioning, accessibility features and capacity for up to 71 passengers.

The range exceeds 250 km on a charge, and the 160 kW chargers allow you to supply several vehicles at the same time.

According to the Diário do Transporte, the buses will have Eletra technology, Caio bodywork and Mercedes-Benz chassis, with WEG motors, inverters and batteries. The notice requires an electric motor with at least 197 hp and 91.8 kgfm, batteries of at least 337 kWh and a length between 12.4 and 14 meters. The warranty of the batteries is eight years or 600 thousand km.

Between 2023 and 2024, the Superintendence of Mobility of the Municipality (Sumob) tested models from different manufacturers, and the studies pointed to a reduction in operating costs and more comfort for passengers and drivers.

According to the city hall, the replacement of diesel buses with electric ones can avoid the emission of about 11.8 thousand tons of carbon dioxide per year, in addition to reducing noise on the streets of the capital.