During his trip to China to discuss climate change (and “combating xenophobia,” but nothing else), California Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the Shenzhen facility of electric automobile manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) and tested out their newest product.
Great! With a $3,200 down payment and a new car loan at, say, 6.34 percent, your payment will be only $3200 – and that’s without California sales tax. Then we have registration fees, some of which vary by county and city in the state. If you live in Santa Monica, you can expect to pay $17,357 in registration fees on top of that purchase price. THEN, figure out what you’re going to pay to charge it – when there aren’t rolling blackouts.
If you’re still excited about this vehicle, perhaps because you believe Gavin’s law about outlawing gas-powered vehicles sometime in the near future in California will actually come to pass, you then have to hope that it won’t stall out when going uphill. That’s the problem BYD’s electric buses have historically had, including fleets provided to various California agencies. From a May 2018 Los Angeles Times investigative report:
When Chinese battery maker BYD Ltd. approached Southern California officials in 2008 touting ambitious plans to build electric cars, local politicians jumped at the promise of thousands of jobs and cleaner air.
In the nine years since, agencies have awarded BYD grants, subsidies and public contracts worth more than $330 million for its battery-powered buses, forklifts and trucks. The company is positioned to be a prime supplier of electric buses to the nation’s second-largest system, as Los Angeles’ Metro sets a 12-year deadline to abandon fossil fuels.
But largely unbeknownst to the public, BYD’s electric buses are contending with a record of poor performance and mechanical problems.
A Times investigation found its buses stalled on hills, required service calls much more frequently than older buses and had unpredictable driving ranges below advertised distances, which were impaired by the heat, the cold or the way drivers braked.
In November of that year, the City of Albuquerque returned their BYD buses:
Albuquerque, New Mexico Mayor Tim Keller has announced the city’s plans to reject and return all 15 of the electric buses manufactured by the US subsidiary of Shenzhen-based automaker BYD, also known as Build Your Dreams.
Although the city cited a number of quality and safety concerns ranging from electrical issues to brake failure, the chief issue seemed to be with the vehicles’ batteries. The contract with BYD calls for buses to operate for 275 miles, yet according to city officials, the buses are unable to go more than 177 miles before they need recharging. Mayor Keller also referenced problems with the batteries overheating and having inadequate fire protection.
Newsom’s a continued fan, though. Since their electric vehicle business needed a little retooling, during the COVID-19 pandemic BYD switched to manufacturing PPE and landed a massive $1.4 billion contract with the State of California in April 2020….
Continued…
Approved ~ MJM
