BYD Buses to Help California Meet its Clean Transit Goals

BYD (Build Your Dreams), headquartered in Los Angeles with an electric bus manufacturing facility in Lancaster, Calif., applauds the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for adopting the Innovative Clean Transit regulation requiring a zero emission transit system by 2040.

“We stand ready to deliver and make the transition to zero emission buses a reality. Thank you to the California Air Resources Board and Governor Brown for their leadership,” said BYD President Stella Li in a statement. “Our Lancaster facility has the capacity to produce 1,500 buses, and we have partnered with Generate Capital to make a leasing program available to accelerate this transition. We also provide solar and storage products that can help customers charge their new buses. We are excited to work with leaders across the state to transition their fleets.”

In California, BYD has delivered 79 all battery electric, zero emissions buses to transit authorities with another 122 orders on the way. The company currently has 19 public transit customers in California and has provided more than 100 additional buses to public and private entities in California, with another 161 buses on order. BYD has partnered with Generate Capital for an electric bus leasing program that allocated $200 million to accelerate adoption of private and public sector electric buses. This leasing program provides agencies with another option beyond normal government financing used for infrastructure and other capital improvements.

In addition to its Los Angeles headquarters and Lancaster manufacturing facility, BYD is building a service hub in the Bay Area to offer full service to customers.

Transit agencies are already moving toward zero emission vehicles. Eight-two percent of California transit agencies with 50 or more buses now either operate zero emission buses, have them on order or have been awarded grants to acquire them. The 12 transit agencies representing 40 percent of the buses in the state have made commitments to 100 percent zero emission buses by 2040, most of them by 2030.

In order for transit agencies to meet the 2040 deadline, California must continue to provide funding for the multiple incentive programs currently available to reduce or eliminate upfront incremental costs of zero emission buses and corresponding infrastructure. Those programs include the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program, Low Carbon Transit Operation Program, Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, utility investments and other programs.