The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News Weekly Edition – January 1, 2020
An artist rendering of the BYD K11M buses being built for LAWA, the world's first 60-foot electric transit bus.
BYD Lancaster plant crew members in front of the 400th electric bus built at the company's half-a-million-square-foot facility in southern California.
BYD Co Ltd. Dec. 18 announced that is has built the 400th electric bus at its manufacturing plant in Lancaster, California.
A China-based electric vehicle and battery manufacturer, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, was established in the city of Shenzhen in 1995. Now the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world, BYD has a North American headquarters in Los Angeles and a 500,000-square-foot bus manufacturing facility in Lancaster, California.
The 400th bus produced at the Lancaster plant is one of 20 buses being built for Los Angeles World Airports, which owns the Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) airports.
"The 400th American bus is another great milestone for our Lancaster team," said BYD North America President Stella Li.
Able to seat up to 55 people, the 60-foot articulating electric buses purchased by LAWA will provide quiet and emissions free transportation for guests traveling between terminals and gates at LAX.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that every zero-emission electric bus eliminates roughly 1,690 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from being emitted into the atmosphere over a 12-year period, equivalent to taking 27 cars off the road. BYD's electric buses also eliminate approximately 10 tons of nitrogen oxides and 350 pounds of diesel particulate matter.
"We are passionate about our mission to create a cleaner environment here in North America and across the globe," said Li.
The company began building buses at the Lancaster manufacturing plant, a former motorhome manufacturing facility, in 2014.
From one electric bus model under production in 2014, BYD's product line now includes 10 models ranging from a 23-foot motor coach to the 60-foot transit model being built for LAWA. They even make two double decker electric buses.
In just six years, BYD has grown to become the largest electric battery bus manufacturer in North America, with more than 750 employees.
BYD is a publicly traded company with 60 percent of its stocks owned by investors in the United States. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is the largest single shareholder at 8 percent.
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