BYD, the Chinese car manufacturer, has officially launched its J7 electric bus in Japan, designed specifically for the urban transit market. The bus, which comes in at 8.9 meters long and 2.3 meters wide, is perfect for city routes.

Set to be sold exclusively in Japan, the J7 is priced at 36.5 million yen (around IDR 3.8 billion). It’s a more premium option when compared to other buses in the market. The bus is made with an urban setting in mind and offers 58 seats in the city model and 54 seats in the suburban version, according to Response.jp.

What makes the J7 even more innovative is its battery design. The LFP battery has a 192.5 kWh capacity, allowing it to travel more than 200 kilometers on a single charge. When it's time to recharge, the bus is equipped with CHAdeMO 90kW fast-charging technology, which gets the battery back to full capacity in just 2.5 hours.

Alongside the J7, BYD also offers other electric buses like the K9 for tourism and the K8 designed for long-distance routes. The J6, another popular model, has even become the foundation for autonomous vehicles, which are gaining attention globally.

This launch is part of BYD's wider push into the electric commercial vehicle market. Liu Xueliang, General Manager at BYD’s Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division, confirmed that the company will be introducing electric trucks in 2026, marking another step in BYD’s growing presence in the clean energy vehicle sector.

BYD’s 2024 global sales figures are nothing short of impressive. They surpassed 4.2 million electric cars sold, and their commercial vehicle sales reached 21,000 units. As for electric buses and trucks, 127,000 units were sold across 70 countries. This growth continued into January 2025, with BYD hitting a record of 300,538 vehicles sold, marking a 47.5% increase from the previous year, as reported by CarNewsChina.

This rise in popularity shows just how well BYD’s vehicles are performing, especially in China. They’ve been growing rapidly, with PHEV sales up by an impressive 78.7% and BEV sales up 19.1% from January 2024.

The launch of the J7 electric bus in Japan is another milestone for BYD. As governments around the world turn their focus to sustainable transport solutions, buses like the J7 could play a significant role in shaping the future of public transport.

PHOTO: BYD JAPAN

This article was created with AI assistance.