BYD Motors Inc.:

WHO:

  • Very Special Guest TBA
  • Mayor R. Rex Parris – Mayor of Lancaster, California
  • Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich – Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
  • Bill Allen – President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
  • Lanny Davis – Attorney for BYD and former White House special counsel
  • Bill Rex – General Manager of BYD Bus and Coach, United States
  • Ambassador Liu Jian - Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Los Angeles
  • Berkshire Hathaway (a Warren Buffett company) representatives will be also available

WHEN:
Monday, April 28th
Media check-in: 9am PT
Ceremony: 10:30am PT
Media will be able to:

  • Take tours of the factory
  • See how a bus is made
  • Ride along on the buses
  • Interview BYD principals and employees
  • Interview Press Conference participants

WHERE:
BYD Coach and Bus Factory
46147 7th Street West
Lancaster, California 93534
(70 miles North of Los Angeles)

WHAT:

The technology BYD has brought to California has been touted as break-through with the following distinctions:

  • Electric buses run entirely off battery power lasting up to 24 hours on a single charge, with single off-peak charging time of 3-5 hours.
  • Buses run entirely off of batteries, with NO transmissions, clutches, or an internal-combustion engine.
  • Buses can hold up to 60 passengers designed with low floors without any steps, made possible with in-wheel hub motors, making it elderly and disability friendly.
  • Battery chemistry environmentally friendly, making it disposable and pollution-free with zero-emissions.
  • Due to its track record for superior technology, BYD has won the most contracts for electric buses in United States.
  • BYD has globally produced more electric buses than any other manufacturer with over 1,300 buses worldwide.
  • BYD's electric bus has been tested for more North American miles at more Transit Authorities than any other electric bus.
  • Buses that will drive out of the Lancaster factory on April 28th have the ability to save 2.77 trees per day, literally a forest each month on U.S. roads.

ABOUT BYD Motors Inc.:

BYD Motors Inc. is an American manufacturing company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd, the largest domestic auto-manufacturer and electric-bus manufacturer in China. BYD is a publicly traded company, with the Hong Kong listed stock 60% of which is owned by U.S. investors, and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as the largest single shareholder at 9.9%.

BYD Motors established its headquarters in downtown Los Angeles in October 2011 and has now hired over 60 Americans to support BYD Electric Bus and Energy Module factories in Lancaster, California which will be delivering their first electric buses at the end of the month. There are also over 25 American research and development and sales support personnel at the Los Angeles headquarters. BYD expects to create 100 new jobs by the end of this year, with 200 by the end of next year all devoted to building BYD's breakthrough battery technologies enabling zero-emission, electric buses, higher utility fleet delivery vehicles, taxis and longer lasting batteries than any other manufacturer in the U.S.

As the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, BYD's mission is to create safer and more environmentally-friendly battery technologies. This has resulted in the BYD Iron Phosphate Battery, a fire-safe, completely recyclable, and incredibly long-cycle technology -- the foundation of BYD's clean energy platforms.

California Governor Jerry Brown was able to see these technologies first hand during his trade mission to China as he visited BYD's China headquarters and rode in BYD's eTaxi and electric buses for many of his travels in southern China.

To confirm your attendance, please contact:

Eleanor McManus
LEVICK
emcmanus@levick.com
202.973.5337 D
202.460.1451 M