The Chinese based BYD car company has supplied 34 electric taxis to the Brussels as part of a move to supply emission free cars to the bustling city. The BYD e6 taxis were delivered through a government funded programme.

BYD claims to be the world’s largest maker of rechargeable batteries, as it aims to be the leading producer of pure electric vehicles. In China, 850 BYD e6 electric taxis are in service in the city of Shenzhen, headquarters for BYD, with a further fleet of 45 operating in Hong Kong.

The BYD e6 is a five-passenger car powered by BYD Iron-Phosphate (or Fe) batteries. It takes only two hours to fully charge the e6 using the fast AC charging solution developed by BYD. This pure EV can then travel for an unprecedented range up to 300km on a full charge.

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A small number of e6 taxis have been in service with Rotterdam Taxi Company for more than one year, while a fleet of 20 has been working in London since early 2014. The latest batch of 34 BYD e6 taxis entered service in Brussels over the last few months, with the official inauguration on 15 October.

Pure electric vehicles are becoming a major trend in the world, especially in densely populated cities. As well as with its pure electric taxis, BYD is rolling out a range of ebuses in a large number of major global cities. More than 36 cities in Europe have already trialled the BYD ebus.