BYD Company Ltd. is steadily firming its Electric Vehicle foothold in Australian soil: following the successful operation of its pure electric buses in a shuttle service for Sidney Airport between December 2014 and May 2015; and the acclaimed introduction of its pure electric forklift in Sydney and Melbourne;now the BYD e6 pure electric crossover for use as taxi has recently become the first Chinese made vehicle to be certified by the Australian Design Rules (ADRs), the country’s stringent technical standards for emissions, vehicle safety and theft resistance.
The two previous incursions of BYD electrified solutionsin Australiagarnered widespread praise from partnersand users for their innovation and efficiency, in a country known for the great importance it attaches to environmental protection and the use of renewable energy. The K9 shuttle bus service was carried out in Sidney Airport with the partnership of Carbridge Pty Ltd., Australia's largest airport bus operators, and provided a clean, silent and comfortable ride to thousands of passengers to and from the airport. Carbridge was the country’s pioneer in introducing a service deploying clean and emission-free electric buses,and added Australia to BYD’s worldwide electric bus footprint. As for the electric forklift, BYD joined ZECO Energy to introduce Australia's first green iron-cell electric forklift commercial operations in Sydney and Melbourne.
With the ADRs certification, the BYD e6 taxi got the green light to access the Australian market, meaning that the company’s global electrified public transportation platform now extends to yet another major market. This is a significant headway for BYD’s comprehensive“7+4” electrification strategy in the region, aiming at electrification of all forms of ground transportation: urban bus, coach, taxi, passenger car,urban logistics trucks, construction trucks, and urban sanitation trucks, as well as vehicles for warehousing, mining, airports and ports.The company now gets one step closer to fulfilling its lofty electrification plans in a country that prizes sustainable development.