BYD may locate its factory in Windsor
2012-02-24 Source：www.chinabuses.org
Summarize：Chinese green company BYD Bus, which has its North American headquarters in Los Angeles, has been in discussions for over a year with Mayor Eddie Francis and other local officials about primary manufacturing plant for electric buses in Windsor.
www.chinabuses.org: Chinese green company BYD Bus, which has its North American headquarters in Los Angeles, has been in discussions for over a year with Mayor Eddie Francis and other local officials about primary manufacturing plant for electric buses in Windsor.
"We've been in advanced talks for some time," said Michael Austin, vice-president of BYD America who works out of Chicago. "There is a strong interest for electric buses in and around that area. Canada has been very aggressive with electric buses, even more than the U.S."
The number of possible jobs will likely range between 100 to 500, he said, citing the rate of employment as being roughly equivalent to one job to each bus produced annually.
BYD manufactures a wide range of green products that include solar panels and energy storage systems. The company has convinced Enwin Utilities to allow pilot tests of 30 LED street lights in Windsor. They are located on Jefferson Boulevard and Sunset Avenue.
Francis indicated serious talks with BYD have been ongoing for months and he has visited Shenzhen, China, on nearly a half-dozen occasions to meet with company executives, often bringing along transit and Enwin officials.
"We are at an advanced level of discussion and getting to the point a decision will be made soon, but we are not there yet." Francis indicated there is market research, engineering and financial details being ironed out by city and BYD staff working in tandem.The plant would be located in Windsor, but it has not yet been determined whether it will occupy an existing vacant facility or build from scratch.
The mayor guessed it may be closer to a month before a final decision can be reached whether BYD builds its first electric bus production facility in North America in Windsor.
Should that happen, there is anticipated to be a large number of spinoff supplier jobs as well, Francis said.
Austin indicated BYD is looking at "less than 10 sites" across North America as possible candidates to establish electric bus manufacturing plants, but that Windsor is the only one in Canada.
BYD's electric bus was taken on a 15-city tour recently that included Windsor, Toronto, Washington and Los Angeles, Austin said.The bus costs roughly 20 per cent more than a natural gas hybrid bus, but offers savings through having no fuel costs. A bus can operate all day on a single charge.The company's only other electric bus manufacturing plant is located in China and produces roughly 1,000 vehicles per year, he said.
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