LA Metro to buy BYD's all-electric buses

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) on Thursday announced a contract for the manufacture and delivery of up to 25 all-electric buses from China's BYD Motors.

The contract with BYD is part of the County's $30-million clean air bus technology pilot project.

It was the first time in Metro's history that all-electric, zero-emission transit buses will be purchased and placed into service as the agency evaluates electric bus technologies and their applicability to meet the region's transit needs, officials said.

Under the contract, Metro will initially purchase five low-floor, 40-foot all-electric buses. After testing and evaluation, the transit agency could then choose to buy up to 20 additional buses.

The BYD contract contains a local jobs component in which final assembly will take place at its new plant in Lancaster, the international firm's first manufacturing facility in the United States.

"It is more an incentive for other Chinese firms to come to Los Angeles County and they are welcome to invest and help our economy and help the employment," Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro board Chairman Michael D. Antonovich told Xinhua.

According to BYD, BYD's electric buses use the company's iron phosphate rechargeable batteries which can reportedly travel 155 miles (about 248 km) between charges with a full passenger load. It aims to change people's impression of cheap and low-tech Made of China products.

BYD Senior Vice President Li Ke told Xinhua that in the past 30 years, "Made in China" has focused on low cost and cheap labor to open market.

"But in the future, I think, there are 2 to 3 million university graduates every years in China. All of these are high-educated people. After the past 20 years of experience, I think in the future 30 years, they will have become a new power with the experience on technology and creative thinking," Li said.

On May 1, BYD and the City of Lancaster in Los Angeles County jointly announced the arrival of two BYD manufacturing facilities in the city. These marked the first manufacturing facilities in the US for the China-based company, specializing in rechargeable batteries, vehicle manufacturing and green energy technologies.

In April, BYD was awarded a $12.1-million contract with Long Beach Transit Authority to produce 10 zero-emissions, all-electric buses.