GOING Global
breaking boundaries in the united states
Home-grown Shenzhen electric vehicles manufacturer BYD Motors this month announced its decisive win in the bid for the USA’s largest electric bus order on record. The contract, with the Washington State Department of Transportation, allows for up to 800 heavy-duty buses and has the potential to be the most comprehensive electric vehicle procurement in US history.
BYD Breaking Boundaries
September 3, 2015
Including buses from 30-60 feet in length for highway and transit applications, long-range and short-range vehicles and on-route charging facilities. As the only electric bus manufacture to manufacturer seven different all-electric buses, BYD has the capacity to deliver the buses within six months.
Employing state-of-the-art charging technologies, such as wireless on-route charging, the BYD-led project has been pinned as one of the most environmentally conscious moves by a single state in the entire US.
Already a major player providing zero-emission technology across Europe, BYD-built London buses will be going into action next month, bringing the BYD name to one of the most iconic symbols of UK tourism. Previously considered unfeasible technologically, the new all-electric London red buses are a technological breakthrough for BYD, and the Electric Vehicles (EV) industry as a whole.
As a company, BYD has done for EVs what Apple did to personal computing devices, triggering a global revolution, changing the way consumers view EV products.
The electric doubledecker bus represents a technology breakthrough in public transportation. London has the most dense population in Europe and has the highest visibility of doubledecker buses. London is replacing 700 to 800 doubledecker buses every year, so there is a big market.
Isbrand Ho, Managing Director BYD Auto Europe
BYD faced a rocky start following its U.S. debute in 2011. The U.S. media launched a smear campaign against the Chinese company. The company were accused of everything from underpaying U.S. workers, to producing dangerous “Made In China” standard products. Between 2005 and 2008 BYD's revenue had more than quadrupled, and it ranked eighth in Businessweek's list of most innovative companies in the world. Riding on this success, the company succeeded in securing a 230 million USD investment by Warren Buffet, whose reputation it was believed would allow for a smooth break into the U.S. market.
Unfortunately, U.S. protectionism proved a "PR Nightmare" for the green-minded BYD, as citizens fought to preserve government contracts and public transport spending for home-grown American companies. Since then, however, BYD’s superior technology has set it apart from its domestic competitors in America, paving the way for a Chinese-led switch to cleaner, greener transit technologies.
As a Nation, we prepare to show the world the path to energy independence, and this procurement will be seen as a key moment in the electrification of the U.S. transit system… With BYD now producing a long-range bus in nearly every category, we have proven that the technology is here to stay.
Macy Neshati, BYD Coach & Bus Vice President of Sales
