BYD to put 560 e-cars into Shenzhen taxi fleet this year

Shanghai, May 20 (Gasgoo.com) China's electric car maker BYD Auto plans to deliver at least 560 units of its electric vehicle e6 to a taxi-fleet operator in Shenzhen city this year, Bloomberg reported today.

On May 17, the automaker based in the southern boom town delivered 40 all-electric e6 cars to the city's Pengcheng Electric Taxi Company, making Shenzhen the first Chinese city to have electric taxis in service. BYD will deliver another 60 e6 cars by the end of June and 460 units or more in the second half of the year.

BYD, part-owned by Buffett Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is set to start selling the e6 model in the U.S. later this year and in Europe next year. The carmaker plans to sell the e6 model for slightly more than $40,000 -- competitive with some bigger rivals. The five-seater e6 can travel about 300km on one charge.

"Entering the taxi market is a breakthrough for us to promote electric vehicles," a BYD executive said. "We are trying to line up more cities, including Hong Kong." China has designated a dozen cities, including Shenzhen, for the pilot service of clean-energy vehicles.

Introducing the electric cars as taxis may help boost retail sales. China has about 1 million taxis. BYD had previously targeted the end of last year to launch the e6 in China.