Singapore public transport provider SMRT International announced today a new agreement with Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD to explore a joint venture that would bring electric vehicles, including e-buses and electric taxis, to Singapore.
SMRT executive vice president Teo Chew Hoon said in a statement, “In our day-to-day operations at SMRT, we look into air, water and energy management diligently. To further promote better air quality, we are exploring the use of electric vehicles in our bus and taxi fleet and are pleased to announce our MOU with BYD, one of the world’s leading green technology companies.”
SMRT said that discussions included possible ways to develop, distribute and sell electric vehicles. An SMRT representative told Eco-Business that no further details had been decided yet, but that discussions were on-going.
The Singapore transport company has been testing environmentally-friendly buses from other vehicle makers since January, including a diesel-electric hybrid bus from Chinese manufacturer Zhong Tong.
Hong-Kong listed BYD announced last month that it was building the world’s largest electric bus fleet of 300 vehicles in Shenzhen.