BYD Gains Permission to Sell E-buses to EU
08 January 2013
www.chinabuses.org: BYD Co., Ltd, a Chinese carmaker backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, said on Monday it had gained official permission to sell its electric buses in all European Union member states.
The "Whole Vehicle Type Approval" granted by EU - which came weeks after BYD announced its plan to build electric buses in Bulgaria with a local partner - marked its latest effort to tap green vehicle potentials overseas.
BYD has been promoting its electric vehicles in the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Canada, Uruguay and the United States among others.
Its Bulgarian plant, capable of building 40-60 vehicles each month, is expected to deliver its first sample electric bus in February, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The WVTA is a compulsory certificate which has to be obtained before vehicles or components of the same type can be approved for sale within EU countries. The WVTA encompasses 25 tests (excluding components tests) and sets high standards for vehicle and safety performance. In order to achieve this standard a bus must conform to a host of stringent European directives.
BYD has been targeting sales in Europe of its pure electric bus, the first 12 metre fully electric bus on the market, and has gained orders in a number of countries including China, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Israel, Uruguay, Canada and the United States. A series of successful demonstrations in major European cities have also been completed or started. Venues have included: Amsterdam (Schipol airport), Budapest, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels and Salzburg. In addition, BYD has recently announced that it is to set up a Joint Venture to manufacture electric buses in Bulgaria.
Source : Reuters
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