Chinese company BYD looks to Brazil as contributor to sustainable urban mobility

CAMPINAS, Brazil, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese company Build Your Dreams (BYD), a manufacturer of solar batteries and electric vehicles, is looking to Brazil as a contributor to sustainable urban mobility, an executive has said.

Brazil is "one of the main markets for cars and buses (and it) can be a global player in this change," Marcello Von Schneider, institutional director and head of BYD Brazil's bus unit, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The remarks came as BYD's factory in Campinas is about to deliver a batch of electric bus chassis to Sao Jose dos Campos of Sao Paulo State as part of the city's zero-pollution fleet.

"We brought 100 percent Chinese technology adapted to the Brazilian market. These vehicles were developed in Brazil with Chinese and Brazilian engineering," Von Schneider said. "This exchange of knowledge and technology is a victory not only for China but for Brazil."

The Brazilian executive noted BYD also offers other types of vehicles in Brazil.

"We offer electric trucks, we have a delivery of urban cleaning trucks in November, electric vans for deliveries for logistics companies and photovoltaic panels, as we are the main manufacturer in Brazil," he said.

The fight against global warming needs contribution from the transportation sector, according to Von Schneider.

"Brazil can be a pioneer and leader in this process," the executive pointed out. "Bus operating companies are doing the math on the economy (which points to) having electric vehicles."

"One of these buses running for a year is equivalent to planting 800 trees. Multiply that by 1,000, 2,000," he added.