BYD Philippines shows e6 electric car, supports clean-air initiatives

Solar Transport and Automotive Resources Corp. (STAR Corp.), the authorized Philippine distributor of BYD Auto China Ltd. Co., has expressed its support for clean-air initiatives such as electric utility Meralco’s push for electric vehicles and Philippine Congress’ bill to provide incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Mark Tieng, managing director of STAR Corp, said, “We welcome the initiatives of Meralco in providing end-to-end energy solutions such as its plan to build a charging station for eVehicles, which is a first step in creating tomorrow’s sustainable cities that will be cleaner and greener. We also laud the foresight of Senate and Congress for creating Senate Bill 2856, also known as the Alternative Fuel Vehicles Incentives Bill, and House Bill 387, otherwise known as the Electric, Hybrid and other Alternative Fuel Vehicles Incentives Act of 2013, which will pave the way for the entry of eVehicles on our roads.”

BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is a Chinese carmaker with factories in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It sold more than 500,000 passenger cars in China in 2013, making it the largest-selling Chinese brand and tenth largest-selling brand. One of the worlds’ most prescient investors, billionaire Warren Buffet, has taken a 10% stake in BYD Auto’s parent company.

The Philippine lineup of BYD includes the e6, reportedly the world’s first long range, pure electric vehicle. The e6 is powered by the proprietary BYD iron phospate battery, which the company says is fire-safe, completely recyclable and has long-cycle technology.