China's leading electric vehicle maker1 BYD said on Wednesday that it has rolled out the 300th bus at its Lancaster manufacturing plant in the U.S. state of California, marking a milestone2 for production.
中国电动汽车领军企业比亚迪周三表示,该公司在美国加州蓝卡斯特的工厂已经造出300辆公交车,标志着生产史上的一个里程碑。
The 300th bus, a 35-foot BYD K9S model
transit3 bus, is one of three built for the Capital Area Transit System of
Baton4 Rouge5, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, the company said in a release.
"We are very proud of this 300th American bus milestone. We are
passionate6 about our mission to create a cleaner environment here in North America and across the globe," BYD President Stella Li told Xinhua.
In a celebration with its customer
Antelope7 Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) on Wednesday, BYD said that AVTA is closing in on a
landmark8 of its own as it expected to realize 1 million miles of zero
emission9 bus operations in early May.
AVTA has ordered 85 electric buses from BYD, and 25 buses have been delivered up to now, according to the company.
Li called AVTA a model for transit agencies seeking
affordable10 green technology -- especially those in California needing to comply with state regulations requiring zero-emission fleets by 2040.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris termed the 300th bus as "the tip of the
iceberg11." He said BYD has created hundreds of well-paying American jobs with more on the horizon as the company expands its product lines of battery electric buses, trucks and forklifts.
"There were some skeptics when BYD chose Lancaster as home to its operations. Now these same skeptics are true believers, as they watch this world-class company continue to
literally12 change the world for the better," said the mayor.