(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
New energy company BYD has entered the Portugal market for its pure electric ebuses.
Portugal joins Spain as an operator of the proven BYD ebus.
The Coimbra Municipal Public Transportation Service, SMTUC, has placed an order for eight pure electric 12 metre BYD buses. The contract for this order was signed today by Manuel Augusto Soares Machado, President of the Coimbra Municipality, and Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe, in Coimbra — a city north of the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
It is the first purchase order in Portugal for BYD’s pure electric buses and follows a successful test by SMTUC of a BYD 12 metre ebus last year. With the confirmation of this order for Portugal, BYD is expanding its European presence to 10 countries and now has more than over 400 orders for its electric buses in Europe.
The ebuses will service several routes in the city centre of Coimbra, becoming the city’s first fleet of 12 metre pure electric buses. Delivery of the eight vehicles is planned in the beginning of 2019.
Manuel Augusto Soares Machado, President of the Coimbra Municipality: “I am honoured to announce that these BYD buses are the first full size 12 metre pure electric buses in the one hundred year history of SMTUC. I am also happy to announce that new tenders are being prepared to reinforce electric public transportation in Coimbra.”
Isbrand Ho, Managing Director at BYD Europe: “We are delighted to be able to add this important market, Portugal, to our client portfolio. From north to south Europe, we have become a competitive player across the Continent covering all the climatic conditions from the cold north of Scandinavia to the heat of Italy, Spain and now Portugal, not forgetting the more moderate conditions of Benelux and the UK. The results of the tests with our ebus here were promising and we are confident that our ebuses can deliver reliable and safe services and help to improve air quality – whatever the weather!”
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.
© 2018 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.