Senior VP Li Ke told the Xinhua News Agency that the factory will be in California, and will be able to produce 50 to 100 buses in 2014.

Chinese battery and EV producer BYD will begin building electric buses in the US in 2013, according to a company executive. Senior VP Li Ke told the Xinhua News Agency that the factory will be in California, and will be able to produce 50 to 100 buses in 2014.

“Starting in 2015, the production capacity will exceed 500 vehicles,” said Li Ke.

The K9 electric bus has a range of around 155 miles, and a price tag of $550,000 to $600,000 each.

In May, the city of Windsor, Ontario signed a letter of intent to buy 10 of BYD’s K9 buses, and the company also has orders from local governments in the US, Singapore, Uruguay, and several European coutries. The Shenzhen-based firm recently signed a joint venture with Bulgarian partner Bulmineral Ltd to produce 50 to 60 K9s each month at a factory near Sofia.

The news site InsideEVs was skeptical about the company’s US plans, however, noting that BYD has made overoptimistic predictions in the past – its E6 electric car was supposed to go on sale in the US in 2010, and an extended-range PHEV, the F3DM was touted for early 2012, but neither vehicle has been seen stateside.

Sources: Xinhua News Agency via InsidEVs