Chinese car maker BYD has announced it will bring an extra 30,000 new energy vehicles – both full battery electric and plug in hybrids – to Australia through May and June.
BYD, which has overtaken Tesla as the most popular electric brand in Australia and announced this week it had delivered its 100,000th NEV in Australia, says the new initiative will support essential workers who need cost-effective transport to get around.
These include doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, teachers, social workers, police, fire, ambulance and SES volunteers. It says the move is important given the soaring cost of petrol and diesel, and the uncertainty over long term supplies (particularly after the dramatic fire on one of Australia’s two refineries).
“Ultimately, we want to minimise wait times for all customers, because everyone is feeling the pinch. The 30,000 vehicles arriving by June will go a long way to helping,” BYD Australia COO Stephen Collins said in a statement.
“We will work closely with our national dealer network to provide priority access – not exclusivity – for those delivering critical services to the community, while maintaining availability for the broader public.”
To put those numbers into context, BYD has sold some 9,954 EVs in Australia so far this year (to the end of March), and more than 10,000 cars in total, including hybrids.
