Not only will Colceincias – Bogotá’s Technology, Science and Innovation Administration be getting several vehicles, but 46 BYD e6’s will be placed into Taxi service as of Q1 2013 in the Colombian capital.
“BYD is very impressed with the leadership in Colombia and their vision to be a part of the new clean technology era with electrified public transportation," said Stella Li BYD Senior Vice President. "We hope to triple our growth and presence in Colombia by next year.”
The District Government authorized this scalable all-electric Taxi pilot in an effort to improve the air quality in Colombia’s dense cities.
Forty-nine BYD e6, five-passenger, all-electric cross-over sedans received approval from the Colombia Ministry of Transportation to operate as taxis in the city of Bogotá. These vehicles are extremely quiet on roads and completely non-polluting (no direct emissions).
A measure was adopted by the Ministry of Environment in 2009 so that these types of vehicles could be imported with zero tax and electric cars in Bogotá do not have license plate restrictions like other petroleum vehicles.
“It is important that the capital city be the first to lead a project like this, because of it’s size and the demand. The idea is that this project can be replicated in other places in Colombia”, said Marcela Bonilla, Sectorial Director of Urban Affairs for the Ministry of the Environment. According to Susana Muhamad, District Secretary of Environment, “this project will permit us to analyze the behavior of the electric cars, with the purpose of reduce the dependence on fossil fuels”.
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