Brazil city to launch electric car-sharing with China automaker

BYD Co. is a manufacturer of electric cars and batteries [Xinhua]

BYD Co. is a manufacturer of electric cars and batteries [Xinhua]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second largest city, plans to launch an electric-vehicle sharing service with input from Chinese automaker BYD, local media reported on Tuesday.

BYD is one of five firms that together make up PPP Radar, the consortium that has won the bid to develop the program, according to Brazilian daily O Estado de Sao Paulo.

BYD, together with DirijaJa, IDOM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Albino Advogados Associados will present their project within the next six months. China is now one of the largest electric car markets in the world.

“The city of Rio de Janeiro should have a fleet of electric vehicles as of next year … for carsharing,” the report said, adding that the program will offer some 300 cars initially.

Carsharing, which operates in cities worldwide, allows drivers to rent a vehicle by the hour, a convenience for those who don’t need a car full time or want to try a different model from the one they have.

China’s BYD, which unveiled the world’s first battery-powered coach in January, has other projects under way in Brazil.

In July, the company will launch a battery plant for electric vehicles in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, said the daily. The plant will also produce solar panels and assemble buses.

BYD, a manufacturer of electric cars and batteries, plans to invest $400 million in Brazil by 2018.

 

Source: Agencies

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