BYD builds world's biggest electric bus recharging station

Want China Times, Wu Ruei-da and Staff Reporter 2014-08-04

A BYD branch in Los Angeles. (Photo/Xinhua)

BYD, China's leading car manufacturing company, has reportedly built the world's biggest electric bus recharging station that can simultaneously dock 300 buses, reports our Chinese-language sister newspaper China Times.

The recharging station is located in Jiangsu province's capital city of Nanjing. The station, already in operation, includes 150 recharging devices. BYD's achievement is seen as China's determination to develop and promote the use of new energy.

China's authorities announced on July 30 that they will provide preferential electricity subsidies for people who recharge their electric cars. The new policy aims at lowering the costs of recharging electric vehicles to incentivize the use of electric cars.

More recharging booths would be a boon for China's domestic automotive industry, as long as they were distributed across all regions and considered population and driver density.

Each recharging pillar only costs 10,000 yuan (US$1,618) to build. This is pocket change for the Chinese government. The cost for a recharging station is similar to that of a petrol station.

The more recharging stations there are, the more consumers are willing to switch to the use of new energy, said one spokesman in the automotive industry.

BYD intends to build in total 21 recharging stations in Nanjing, which would consist of 976 recharging pillars. They have not given a time frame for completion.

BYD will also provide electric vehicles for the Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing from Aug. 16 to Aug. 28.