BYD, better known as Build Your Dream, is a Chinese automaker that may be the first to bring its green vehicles to India. The company has announced plans to manufacture and launch its pure-electric buses over the next few months.
In a joint venture with BK Modi-owned Smart Dreams (erstwhile Spice Mobile Group), BYD unveiled plans for an electric bus manufacturing facility at ModiCiti (next to Muradabad) in Uttar Pradesh.
As part of the 'Smart Dreams' project, the pure-electric vehicles will enter public transportation through e-bus and e-taxi all-electric offerings.
BYD, one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers in which global investor Warren Buffett has a stake, will be the technical partner for these buses. BYD has already set up an electric bus manufacturing plant in southern California in 2014 and has a contract to supply electric buses to Los Angeles County. With presence in 190 cities across 43 countries, BYD has its electric buses and cars pressed into service from Uruguay in South America to Jakarta in Indonesia.
"Given the rising concern about pollution and public health in the Indian capital, and to realise the government's vision for clean, pollution-free mobility means, Smart Dreams has offered two pure-electric buses to the Delhi government for a free trial. These buses have been pressed into service by Delhi Transport Corporation," Modi said in a media conference in New Delhi on Friday.
The company has not shared the price of these buses that are air-conditioned with comfortable seats and a separate driver enclosure. It has a battery life of more than 4,000 recharging cycles and can cover a distance of 250 km with a fully charged battery that is fully recyclable. The bus's batteries can be charged at night in eight hours.
The factory is likely to roll out the buses in the next four to five months from Muradabad, which will also have a 110-acre smart and clean satellite township coming up "We are showcasing a new environment where development is being directed towards sustainable coexistence. I believe that this will be a highly successful project for the Smart Group. We have partnered with the world's largest player in the e-vehicle market, BYD Company Limited (BYD), to bring in world class technology to the country," Modi added.
BYD Company, which is one of the world's largest players in the electric vehicle space and the largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, also plans to target the pure-electric car space to bring high-efficiency, electrified personal transportation into the Indian market.