The World's Largest Battery-Electric Vehicle Is This Articulated Bus

If when you think of electric vehicles you picture tiny lightweight cars designed to maximize their battery life, BYD Motors is about to blow your mind. At the recent 2014 American Public Transportation Association Expo in Houston, the company revealed a new articulated bus that it's claiming is the world's largest battery electric vehicle—unless the new Chevy Volt can accommodate 120 passengers.

At over 60 feet in length the Lancaster eBus uses an articulated dual-body design to maximize rider capacity, but even when full BYD Motors promises the electric bus can travel over 170 miles on a single charge. To ensure the technology on board is safe for the public, the eBus uses the company's iron-phosphate batteries which are fire-safe, recyclable, and can be recharged in about two to four hours. And since the buses would be charged overnight during off-peak energy hours, a whole fleet can be recharged without requiring an increase in power to a local power grid.