Greentech Lead Europe: BYD, manufacturer of rechargeable
batteries, and Bulmineral signed an agreement to create a 50:50
joint venture company, named Auto Group Motors, to produce electric buses in
Europe.
This is the first electric bus joint venture in Europe
and the first overseas electric vehicle joint venture for BYD.
BYD, the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer, will
work together with Bulmineral, to manufacture pure electric buses in Breznik,
Bulgaria. This will enable BYD to break into local markets in Bulgaria and
expand to other countries in Europe.
The establishment of the JV company Auto Group Motors is
a significant step for BYD following a number of deals and customer
demonstrations for its pure electric bus worldwide. Sales have been recorded in
China, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Canada, Uruguay and the United States,
and bus demonstrations have been completed or started in Spain, Belgium,
Hungary, Colombia, Chile and Peru .
“We are delighted to set up this e-bus JV company in
Bulgaria with Bulmineral,” said BYD Europe B.V. managing director, Mr. Isbrand
Ho. “It is a very important step for BYD and will ensure we are able to move
forward with our strategy to introduce our electric vehicles and more green
products across Europe.”
The 12-meter long BYD electric bus is able to
run 250 km (155 miles) on a single charge in urban conditions. This allows a
travelling range that is sufficient for one whole shift in most cities. The
core technology of BYD electric buses is BYD’s
self-developed Iron-Phosphate battery technology boasting the highest
safety, longest service life and most environmentally-friendly rechargeable
chemistry. It also contains no heavy metals or toxic electrolytes.
The accumulated mileage of BYD electric buses in
Shenzhen, China alone has surpassed 11.81 million kilometers (or 7.33 million
miles) by the end of November 2012.