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BYD Company Ltd, through its electric mobility business arm BYD Auto, is eyeing the opportunities for pure electric mobility vehicles and the upcoming light rail projects in India.
Part of the diversified Chinese enterprise which is into IT, automobiles, new energy and light rail, BYD is exploring manufacturing options in India with Goldstone Infratech Ltd, with which it struck a partnership earlier this year.
Goldstone recently bagged its maiden order — for the supply of six pure electric powered buses — from Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). It was also recently short-listed in a major order, for the supply of 20 buses in Himachal Pradesh. These projects are seen to expedite BYD’s India plans.
“As a major global player in electric mobility, we are very upbeat on India prospects. However, some more clarity with regards to the regulatory environment for buses will enable us to firm up our long-term India plans. The demand for such buses will be a major driver,” Liu Xueliang, Chairman of BYD India and General Manager of BYD Group Asia-Pacific Territory, told BusinessLine .
BYD had supplied more than 500 electric buses in Shenzhen over the past five years and they are all running efficiently, Liu said. This has prompted the local government there to order a big fleet of electric buses to replace diesel powered ones, he added.
Typically, these buses can cover up to 300 km per single charge. But this depends on the traffic and road conditions, said Ketsu Zhang, Regional Director for South Asia Region and General Manager of BYD India. Following the BEST order, BYD and Goldstone are in discussions to make these buses in Telangana.
BYD started its journey as a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and later forayed into the automotive sector.
It has raised funds from Warren Buffet and Samsung among others.
“The last mile connectivity solutions for metro rail is something we work on with several projects and hope to see similar success in India. We are also keen to tap the monorail project potential in India. Our manufacturing plans will be based on regulatory environment and local demand,” Liu said.
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