Category: Minority Stock Positions

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BYD Europe and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) have jointly announced that one of West London’s best-known bus services, route 94, is going fully electric with the delivery of 29 pure electric, 100% emissions-free BYD ADL Enviro400EV double decks.

The vehicles go into service this week with operator London United – a subsidiary of RATP Dev. BYD is a global leader in batteries, energy management and electric mobility, while ADL, the UK’s best-selling bus manufacturer, is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. (NFI).

Route 94 provides a 24-hour service for West London residents, from Acton Green to Piccadilly Circus via Westfield, Notting Hill and Oxford Street. With an overall 67-seat capacity (24 in lower saloon, 43 in upper saloon), the 10.9-metre BYD ADL Enviro400EV achieves up to 160 miles on a single charge.

Power is delivered through BYD’s pure-electric drivetrain comprising the electric motor and 382 kWh Iron-Phosphate batteries. Double deck bodywork from ADL features a striking glazed staircase, long wheelchair bay and an automatic wheelchair ramp at the rear doors.

This latest delivery from the BYD ADL Partnerships sees the total number of its electric buses in service climb to 269, including 200 BYD ADL Enviro200EV single decks. The new vehicle are also fitted with the new Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System which generates sound at speeds below 12mph to alert pedestrians and vulnerable road users.

Speaking at a launch event, Catherine Chardon, Managing Director of RATP Dev London, said, “These new buses will support TfL and London’s strategy for a greener city. It is the second step in our garage network electrification strategy”. Mehdi Sinaceur, Chairman of RATP Dev UK at RATP Dev, added, “Electrification is one of the key transformations that RATP Dev is helping our London companies with, leveraging our Group experience”.

“Today, we have 234 BYD ADL electric buses operating in the capital – we’re delivering a cleaner London,” said Frank Thorpe, Managing Director at BYD (UK), “RATP Dev is one of the city’s main Transport for London operators, and a 29-vehicle delivery is not only a ringing endorsement for emissions-free mobility for the people of London, but also for the BYD ADL partnership and its combination of world-renowned electro-mobility technology and British manufacturing ingenuity.”

ADL Chief Executive, Colin Robertson, said: “RATP Dev’s route 94 is the second double decker route in London to go electric with the BYD ADL Enviro400EV, with more to follow this year. Red double decker buses keep London moving, and having already supplied hybrid buses to the capital since 2008, ADL is delighted to be a leading partner in their transformation to zero emissions.”

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Construction has begun on a two-megawatt solar and two-megawatt hour energy storage project developed by BYD (Build Your Dreams) and Apparent, Inc. at BYD’s Lancaster Coach & Bus manufacturing plant.

With this installation in place, the project will serve as a way to cut operational costs and offer a more sustainable energy solution for BYD. The site will give BYD the ability to maintain optimum power levels for manufacturing, while also generating renewable energy on-site. Powering the Lancaster plant is the first project that is a part of BYD’s and Apparent’s partnership to help deploy more efficient clean energy in Antelope Valley.

“This project showcases BYD’s commitment to a total green ecosystem with the ability to generate, store, and use zero-emission energy to power buildings as well as zero-emission vehicles,” said BYD North America President Stella Li. “BYD is the only company that can provide complete, affordable solutions.”

BYD selected Novato, California based Apparent, Inc. to design the solar+storage system based on Apparent’s intelligent grid Operating System (igOS™) hosted on SG424U micro-inverters. The software+hardware platform will manage real and reactive power produced by the system, communicating and controlling individual energy signatures to meet demand in parallel with the grid. BYD Coach & Bus will buy power from the system under a 25-year agreement once the project is completed this spring.

Apparent’s igOS™ is the key to unlocking an integrated total green solution – the sophisticated, real-time software identifies and signals to BYD’s battery system to charge during times of low demand and discharge during peak times. The project is estimated to allow BYD Coach & Bus to save over $100,000/annually in energy with the same upfront costs.

“We are very pleased to work with BYD to offer more intelligent energy solutions,” said Apparent President Jacqueline DeSouza. “Our energy platform offers dynamic real and reactive power production and sub-second communications and control — features no other clean energy solution can provide. The result is more efficient and environmentally-friendly energy production at lower costs.”

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

China’s BYD has committed to building a new California facility for its rapidly growing electric forklift business.

The company will construct a 50,000-square-foot facility in Rancho Dominguez that will include office space, warehouse space and facilities for demos and training.

“This expansion will help us build and strengthen our relationships and give us an important opportunity to showcase the variety of top-notch material handling equipment built by BYD,” Terry Rains, director of BYD’s North American forklift division, said in a statement. “BYD has been revolutionizing the material handing market and our extraordinary technology turns the industry inside-out,” added Rains.

Globally, BYD has delivered more than 12,000 zero-emission electric trucks across all classes, and it expansion into product handling equipment, such as forklifts, are part of a diversified electric powered product line that includes cars, delivery trucks, batteries, and even monorails.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BYD (Build Your Dreams) has announced that its American-built K11M 60-foot battery-electric, articulated public transit bus successfully completed the Federal Transit Administration Model Bus Testing Program in Altoona, Pa.

The K11M, which exceeds all Buy America requirements, became the first articulated bus to successfully complete the new FTA “Pass/Fail” protocol and is the only five-door model to do so.

As a result, U.S. transit agencies can use FTA funding to buy the BYD K11M. Several agencies, including the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, based in Lancaster, Calif., Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and IndyGo in Indianapolis, have already deployed the model.

“This is a milestone for battery-electric buses, and clearly highlights the style, innovation, and safety features that are hallmarks of the BYD brand,” said BYD North America President Stella Li. “Not only are these American-built buses safe, they are quiet and comfortable and contribute to better air quality and a higher standard of living in our communities.”

In September, BYD’s K11M became the first battery-electric transit bus of its size to complete the full 15,000-mile durability test in an impressive 106 days and requiring a minimum amount of maintenance, setting a high bar for all other bus manufacturers.

BYD’s 60-foot articulated transit bus is ideal for high-volume passenger operations, providing service with less noise and vibration. Depending on the configuration, the bus can accommodate up to 89 passengers. It has a range of up to 220 miles and can be fully charged in three to four hours.

The K11M is built at BYD’s Coach & Bus factory in Lancaster, Calif. All of BYD’s zero-emission buses not only meet but also exceed FTA Buy America requirements, incorporating more than 70% U.S. content.

BYD is the first battery-electric bus manufacturer that has both a unionized workforce and a Community Benefits Agreement, which sets goals for hiring veterans, single parents, second chance citizens, and others facing hurdles in obtaining manufacturing employment.

BYD offers the widest range of battery-electric bus and coach models in the United States, ranging from 23-foot motor coaches on up to the 60-foot K11M.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BYD has delivered its 100th battery-electric truck in the United States.

World-wide, BYD has delivered more than 12,000 zero-emission electric trucks across all classes.

BYD’s 100th U.S. truck is a second generation BYD 8TT Class 8 Electric Semi that is part of a larger deployment for Anheuser-Busch’s Oakland, CA distribution operations.

“This is a great milestone for BYD, and it is just the beginning,” said Aaron Gillmore, BYD’s Vice President of Truck Business. “Our trucks are hard at work every day proving that electric is the new standard. 2020 will be a fantastic year for battery-electric trucks.”

The 100th truck will go to work delivering beverages for Anheuser-Busch around the San Francisco Bay area to retail accounts such as grocery and convenience stores on a daily basis. The trucks will charge at the Anheuser-Busch Oakland facility overnight. The project was grant funded by CARB.

Through its 2025 U.S. Sustainability Goals, Anheuser-Busch has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 25% across its entire value chain by 2025.The Oakland deployment builds on the brewer’s existing partnership with BYD including 21 additional BYD battery electric trucks at four of their distribution facilities across southern California: Sylmar, Riverside, Pomona, and Carson.

“We are proud to continue to build on our commitment to sustainable logistics through our partnership with BYD in California,” said Joaquin Schlottmann, Vice President of Tier 2 Logistics at Anheuser-Busch. “By integrating zero-emission vehicles into our distribution fleet, we are taking another step towards reaching our sustainability goals and helping ensure our beers are delivered in the most sustainable way possible.”

Anheuser-Busch put the BYD 8TT through extensive testing on range, acceleration, gradeability, charging speed, and more. The BYD 8TT exceeds the performance requirements of Anheuser-Busch and is receiving very positive feedback from drivers.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Long Beach Transit in Long Beach, California, is purchasing 14 additional BYD zero-emission K9M 40-foot buses.

The order more than doubles the number of BYD buses in its fleet.

LBT joins Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Anaheim Resort Transportation, and numerous other agencies as repeat customers of BYD’s battery-electric buses.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2020 David Mazor

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Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BYD (Build Your Dreams) is celebrating its 400th bus built at its Lancaster, Calif. manufacturing plant.

The 400th bus is a 60-foot articulated K11M model transit bus built for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), part of a 20-bus order. The buses will be used to provide transportation for guests traveling between terminals and gates on the Los Angeles International Airport’s airfields.

“The 400th American bus is another great milestone for our Lancaster team,” said BYD North America President Stella Li. “Since delivery of our first American battery-electric bus from Lancaster in 2014, BYD has provided buses to customers in 14 states and four Canadian provinces. We are passionate about our mission to create a cleaner environment here in North America and across the globe.”

In just six years, BYD has grown to become the largest battery electric bus manufacturer in North America, with more than 750 employees. The company has expanded its Lancaster manufacturing plant, a former motorhome manufacturing facility, from 100,000 square feet to over a half million square feet.

In all, BYD has invested more than $250 million in North America, and in 2018 alone, has spent $70 million on components and services from American vendors.

From one bus model under production in 2014, BYD’s product line now includes transit bus models ranging from the 30-foot K7 to the 60-foot K11, and coach models ranging from 23-foot C6 to the double-deck, 45-foot C10MS.

BYD now has more than 50 municipal, transit agency, university, airport, federal and other commercial and private-sector bus customers, including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Antelope Valley Transit Authority, Denver RTD, Kansas City International Airport, and Solano County Transit.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2019 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

China’s BYD has secured the largest ever single order for electric buses in Europe.

The landmark order with Keolis Nederland BV comprises 259 pure-electric, 100% emissions-free BYD eBuses scheduled for programmed delivery from next summer.

Keolis Nederland BV is the Dutch subsidiary of global public transport provider, Keolis.

“This is a momentous occasion for BYD,” said BYD Europe Managing Director, Isbrand Ho, “and also represents a huge commitment to electric mobility since it becomes the largest European fleet ever switched to electric at one time.”

The deal was reached following close cooperation between Keolis and BYD to devise a demanding whole-life package which delivers a total transport solution and takes into account operational needs and passenger comfort requirements.

The deal was confirmed on Friday 6thDecember at Keolis’ head office in Deventer in the Netherlands with the contract being signed by Frank Janssen, the CEO of Keolis Nederland and Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe.

This latest order follows a number of recent significant deals for BYD with major public transport operators right across Europe – further reinforcing BYD’s strong and leading position in Europe where it has made deliveries and taken orders in nearly 60 cities and more than 10 countries, to-date totaling more than 1,200 electric buses.

For Keolis Nederland, BYD’s 8.7-metre midi bus, 12-metre and new 13-metre eBus models will enter service from the end of 2020 on routes throughout the Netherlands’ IJssel-Vecht region, including front-line operations in the municipalities of Zwolle, Apeldoorn and Lelystad. BYD’s 13-metre modelis equipped with new upgraded battery technology to provide extended range and ‘city-to-city’ capability.The majority of the Keolis order comprises 206 of BYD’s best-selling 12-metre model all of which will be equipped with pantographs.

In 2016, the Dutch minister of Traffic and Infrastructure signed a covenant which aims to reduce emission, such as CO2, Nox and PMs by 2025. Keolis has surpassed this target by operating almost emission free straight from the start of the concession.

With its headquarters in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has provided BYD with a staging post to extend its European activities, and has also seen some strategically important orders for the company. Notably in 2012, BYD won its first European order to supply six eBuses to the Dutch national park island of Schiermonnikoog, the first public tender for electric buses in Europe. High profile deals followed soon after, including 35 BYD eBuses for Schipol Airport – the first airport worldwide to adopt airside electric mobility. In just seven years, BYD has delivered electric mobility to Public Transport Operators in towns and cities right across Europe, emerging today as the market-leading eBus brand.

Frank Janssen, CEO Keolis Nederland is delighted and proud to partner with BYD in operating the largest zero emission bus fleet in Europe starting December 2020. “It is another milestone for Keolis Nederland and the Keolis Group in developing and deploying electromobility solutions around the world and it reaffirms our commitment to supporting public transport authorities in the transition to sustainability. We’ve chosen BYD due to our excellent experience with their e-buses. These are a fundamental part in our daily operation to the full satisfaction of our passengers and employees. Furthermore we trust in BYD’s expertise as a manufacturer in developing and maintaining battery-packages.”

“This is another landmark deal for BYD in Europe,” said BYD Europe Managing Director, Isbrand Ho, “but, this is more than simply building and supplying 259 eBuses – significant though that is – we have worked tirelessly with Keolis to provide a complete transport solution. Delivery programmes on this scale,” he said, “can only be achieved through excellent cooperation and by striking up a long-term partnership. Our relationship with Keolis provides an excellent template to explore opportunities with other large fleet operators.”

This announcement of the Keolis order, the largest in European history, further underlines BYD’s credentials as the world’s leading electric bus manufacturer, after last month’s order from public transport operator, TransMilenio SA, in the Columbian capital of Bogotá to supply 379 eBuses scheduled to enter service in September 2020.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2019 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

China’s BYD could find its growing presence as a supplier of eBuses in the United States cut short if the current version of the National Defense Authorization Act become law.

The NDAA contains a key provision barring federal dollars from being used to purchase passenger rail cars or buses from state-owned or state-controlled enterprises, including BYD, which assembles its buses at its plant in Lancaster, California.

The plant employs some 750 workers, and was recently scheduled for expansion.

Proponents of the bill cite cybersecurity concerns.

BYD has been receiving an increasing number of large order for its eBuses from municipalities, including 130 of its eBuses that were ordered by LADOT for Los Angeles’ “Green New Deal” program, which aims to have the entire LADOT fleet be run with zero-emission buses before 2030.

BYD has already sold 460 eBuses in Southern California alone, and if the NDAA is enacted in its current form the company would be immediately banned from selling to Washington, DC’s Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro). The bill bans both buses and railcars.

“BYD’s electric vehicles are increasingly popular with municipalities, airports and other customers across the United States, and we will work to redouble our sales and continue deliveries of high-quality vehicles to our customers,” BYD said in a statement. “This unfortunate decision rewards a special interest misinformation campaign to squash competition in the electric bus sector and could weaken American competitiveness, threaten hundreds of union jobs and undercut our country’s fight against climate change.”

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2019 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

China’s BYD has received an eBus order for Oslo, Norway, as the company continues to make inroads in the European market.

Unibuss, a Norwegian bus company based in Oslo, has placed an initial order for 23 new 12 metre pure electric BYD eBuses.

The buses are expected to go into service in the second quarter of 2020.

The Unibuss order comes on the heels of a 55 eBus order from Norway’s government-owned national rail and bus company.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2019 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.