HONG KONG--March 20, 2013: BYD Company Ltd. announced solutions for electrifying Hong Kong City's public transport with plans to replace diesel buses and LPG taxis. Experts anticipate that this will reduce Hong Kong's vehicle emissions nearly 56% 1 (see note). BYD concurrently unveiled its plan to introduce e6 pure electric taxis in the region in May of this year.
“Hong Kong has been dedicated to promoting green transport for quite some time -- electrifying public transportation will not only significantly save costs, but it will also dramatically lower the city vehicle emissions and improve air quality, creating a tremendous social impact!”
Chuan-fu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Company Limited, remarked, "Hong Kong has been dedicated to promoting green transport for quite some time -- electrifying public transportation will not only significantly save costs, but it will also dramatically lower the city vehicle emissions and improve air quality, creating a tremendous social impact!"
The first fleet of 45, BYD e6 pure electric taxis are scheduled for launch in Hong Kong in May of this year. Meanwhile, BYD and multiple partners have already built and tested three charging stations in Oi Man Estate, Shek Wai Kok Estate and Wong Tai Sin. The second batch of charging stations is expected to be set up before May with the expectation that each taxi will be complemented by a charging appliance. BYD is also collaborating with local industry partners to pursue further developments in electrified public transport for Hong Kong (including BYD 40-foot electric buses).
Public transport is one of the major sources of air pollution in cities. Replacing the eighteen-thousand (18,000) LPG taxis and twelve-thousand (12,000) diesel buses with electric taxis and buses would mean a reduction in emissions equivalent to over eight-hundred-thousand (800,000) private cars,1 a leap towards an ultimate target: low-city-noise, zero emissions and zero pollution. Electrified public transport is one of the most important ways to reduce vehicle emissions and improve roadside air pollution. In addition, given the difference in price between fossil fuels and electricity, electric transport can also help the transport industry save costs. For instance, each BYD e6 pure electric taxi is capable of saving approx. one-hundred-ten-thousand HKD (110,000HKD) annually in operating costs [Please refer to Appendix 1].
BYD's pure electric vehicles use an Iron-Phosphate (or Fe) battery, which touts industry-leading safety qualifications and superior life. The battery maintains high-performance capabilities over long periods of use and can stably withstand extreme conditions. Taking the e6 pure electric vehicle as an example, after 4,000 charging cycles, the capacity of the battery remains still remains at above 75% of its original capacity, and the total mileage can reach over one million (1,000,000) km. The BYD e6 can completely fulfill the usage requirements of taxis and private cars. Apart from this, the e6 pure electric vehicle has passed all safety testing to international standards, and the K9 pure electric bus has received the EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) and US FMVSS safety certification.
Since 2010, BYD has conducted its electric vehicle commercial operations on a large scale. As of the end of February this year, BYD had rolled out 800, e6 pure electric taxis in Shenzhen, accumulating close to fifty-five million (55M) km in total mileage. The mileage of a single electric taxi is well over 300,000 km, which is equivalent to the total mileage accumulated in more than 10 years of driving an average private car. 200 K9 pure electric buses have been running in Shenzhen and have exceeded fourteen million (14M) km in total mileage, which means each vehicle has reached over 110,000 km on average. These electric vehicles are operating steadily, without any apparent reduction in performance. Electrified public transport is steadily gaining approval more countries world-wide, thanks to the continuous advancement of electric vehicle technologies and the successful examples of large-scale commercial operations. BYD has engaged in these operations throughout China, and in the Netherlands, the United States, Denmark, Colombia and the United Kingdom. In London, England, for instance, BYD is introducing 50 e6 pure electric taxis and setting up the country€™s first fleet of electric vehicles. In Bogota, Colombia, BYD earlier introduced 49 e6 pure electric taxis, with trial operation slated to begin this year. Public e6 electric vehicles will soon be operating on a large scale in Hong Kong as well. As a major force behind the emerging global trend, BYD continues to promote the development of electrified public transport worldwide.
Note 1:
BYD estimates that emissions from a taxi are equivalent to the sum of those from 14 private cars, while emissions from a single-deck bus are equivalent to those from 33 private cars and emissions from a double-decker bus are equivalent to those from 57 private cars. The total emissions of the 18,133 taxis, 7,150 single-deck buses and 5,564 double-decker buses in Hong Kong are therefore equivalent to the sum of those from over 800,000 private cars. Of the total emissions from the 650,000 vehicles on Hong Kong€™s roads, about 56% comes from single-deck buses, double-decker buses and taxis combined. Hence, eliminating all emissions from these fossil fueled vehicles would represent a corresponding 56% reduction in the total emissions from all vehicles.
Appendix 1:
Since there is substantial price differential between LPG and electricity, the operating costs of an LPG-fuelled taxi and an electric taxi are significantly different. On average, a taxi in Hong Kong runs 500 km a day for 353 days a year (taxis take one day for maintenance every month). The calculation shows that a normal LPG taxi consumes 17L of natural gas for every 100km, and that an e6 pure electric taxi consumes 26kWh for every 100km. With reference to the LPG cost of HKD 5/L and the electricity cost of HKD 1.02/kWh, each electric taxi saves HKD 318 per day, or approximately HKD110 thousand a year, on operating costs [See Table 1].
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Table 1: Comparison between the Operating Costs of an LPG Taxi and a BYD e6 Pure Electric Taxi |
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| Item | LPG Taxi | e6 Pure Electric Taxi | Cost Saved by Using Pure Electric Taxi | ||||||
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Energy consumed per 100km |
17L | 26kWh |
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| LPG/ Electricity Fuel cost (HKD) | 5 | 1.02 |
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| Mileage per Day (KM) | 500 | 500 |
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| Operating Days per Year | 353 | 353 |
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| Daily Operating Cost (HKD) | 451 | 133 | 318 | ||||||
| Yearly Operating Cost (HKD) | 159,027 | 46,808 | 112,219 | ||||||