Volkswagen plans to acquire 20% of Chinese battery maker Guoxuan, Reuters reports, accelerating the German giant’s foray into China’s growing EV market. At current prices, the 20% stake would be worth about $560 million. Volkswagen is currently the top foreign automaker in China, and has set a goal of selling 1.5 million new energy vehicles… Read more »
A new study quantifies what commercial EV-makers have been saying for years: electric trucks and buses are a triple win. They save money for fleet operators, and reduce both local air pollution and carbon emissions. Furthermore, in California (among other places), they generate jobs and economic benefits. American bus-builder Proterra is headquartered in Silicon Valley… Read more »
Chinese EV manufacturer BYD and charging infrastructure provider AMPLY Power will partner to support fleet operators’ transition to EVs. Geared towards transit agencies, shuttle bus operators, universities, school districts and municipalities, the partnership will offer joint products and services from the two companies. BYD President Stella Li said, “This partnership leads to a total and… Read more »
The record for “largest order of electric buses in Europe” is proving to be a rapidly moving target. In November, Volvo sold 157 e-buses to a French public transit operator, and proclaimed that this order was the largest in Europe to date. Now Keolis, a private public transport operator that manages bus and metro systems… Read more »
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has ordered 130 K7M electric buses from BYD, which calls the order the largest to date in the US. The 30-foot K7M has 22 seats, a range of up to 150 miles, and a charging time of 2.5 to 3 hours. BYD offers a 12-year warranty on its batteries…. Read more »
Toyota and Chinese EV maker BYD will form a joint company focused on EV battery research and development. The company is scheduled to be launched in China in 2020. Toyota and BYD have agreed to each provide 50 percent of the capital for the new company. BYD Senior VP Lian Yu-bo said, “We aim to… Read more »
The K11M, BYD’s 60-foot electric articulated transit bus, has passed durability road testing under the Federal Transit Authority’s (FTA) new Pass/Fail guidelines at the Model Bus Testing Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is the first electric transit bus of its size to complete the full 15,000-mile durability test. Once Altoona and the FTA finalize the… Read more »
Frito-Lay plans to make its Modesto, California manufacturing site, one of the company’s largest in the US, a “near zero-emission freight facility.” A grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (aka Valley Air) will cover half of the $30.8-million cost of the project. Frito-Lay will replace all its existing diesel-powered freight equipment… Read more »
Chinese EV maker BYD has selected Milea Truck as the distributor of its electric trucks in New York City. Milea will offer the full line of BYD’s electric trucks, including: Class 6 and Class 8 Trucks Refuse Collection Trucks Tandem Axle Day Cabs Yard Tractors Refrigerated Box Trucks BYD Director of Business Development John Gerra… Read more »
Chinese EV maker BYD and Toyota have signed an agreement for the joint development of electric vehicles. The two companies will develop sedans and low-floor SUVs as well as the onboard batteries for these vehicles and others. They aim to launch the new models in the Chinese market under the Toyota brand in the first… Read more »