The signing yesterday (21 October 2015) coincided with the state visit to the UK by president Xi Jinping, of China, and is aimed at “transforming the transport landscape in the UK and elsewhere”, with the introduction of revolutionary emission-free buses.
Following the signing, both companies also confirmed that they are already in advanced discussions with a view to extending their alliance to include double-deck buses – with the potential to triple the scale of their deal to almost £2 billion.
The BYD-ADL collaboration deal was signed by Wang Chuan-fu, founding chairman of BYD, and Colin Robertson, chief executive of ADL.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, BYD’s Mr Wang said: “Working with top industry partners such as ADL will enable us to speed up acceptance of our vision for fully-electrified public transport systems that can make a major contribution towards the clean air challenges facing cities around the world.
And ADL’s Robertson added: “This is the start of an exciting journey with enormous potential and we are delighted to be working with BYD.
“Their expertise in electric vehicle technology is second-to-none, while we have a global reputation for robust, reliable, high performance vehicles that deliver what they promise.”
Robertson adds that initiatives like this “help support 2,500 ADL jobs and a further 1,500 in our build partnerships around the world”.
BYD and ADL first indicated their intention to work together in July this year when the former confirmed that it had won an order for 51 12-metre, full electric single deck buses for Transport for London.
All 51 of the vehicles will incorporate BYD chassis and electric powertrain technology but will be bodied by ADL at its Falkirk manufacturing facility in Scotland.
The vehicles will adopt ADL’s best-selling Enviro200 midi bus look.