BYD signs COP26 agreements to accelerate EV adoption

BYD, the Shenzhen-based world leader in electric vehicle (EV)technology and manufacturing, has joined government, business, and environmental leaders in signing three agreements at the Glasgow COP26 Climate Change Conference to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and supporting infrastructure, according to the company.

Combined, the three agreements call for global cooperation in speeding up adoption of zero-emission cars, vans, and medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, and creating charging infrastructure. BYD and the other signatories pledge to align public policy and funding as well as private business strategy, production and investment toward achieving ambitious zero-emission vehicle adoption goals.

Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD B.V., offered his expertise at panel discussions on zero-emission transportation infrastructure entitled “Nothing Moves Without It” at the COP26 conference.

In signing the first agreement, drafted by representatives of the United Kingdom, BYD will join the push for global sales of new cars and vans being zero-emission by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets.

The agreement calls for governments at all levels to make policies and investments to support EV sales. The agreement also calls for private businesses, such as BYD, to align their business strategies to reach this ambitious goal.

BYD also signed an agreement endorsing a global memorandum of understanding calling for countries to have 30 percent of its new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles to be zero-emission by 2030 and be 100 percent by 2040. BYD is joining government, businesses and environmental organizations to make the transition to zero-emission vehicles easier and more cost-effective by removing strategic, political and technical barriers, and accelerating EV adoption and deployment. This agreement was drafted by the Netherlands and CALSTART, a nonprofit seeking to build a high-tech clean-transportation industry.

The third document signed by BYD calls for accelerating the creation of a comprehensive network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The document offers a set of recommendations to reach this goal, including developing e-mobility roadmaps, prioritizing investments in electricity network infrastructure, encouraging private investment, removing financial barriers to the installation of charging infrastructure, and developing charging networks that are open, user-friendly and scalable.

BYD ADL pure-electric buses played a prominent role at COP26. A fleet of 10 BYD ADL Enviro400EV double-decker buses provided zero-emission VIP transportation for world leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. The double-decker e-buses, built in Scotland as part of the BYD ADL partnership, were operated by Stagecoach, the U.K.’s largest public transport operator.

Additionally, BYD ADL e-buses were in operation by First Bus as part of the all-important shuttle service for delegates attending the conference. A fleet of 22 Enviro200EV zero-emission buses, all built in Scotland, were used for this purpose.