After making slow progress in the Rotterdam (2 E6 e-taxis) and London markets (20 E6 private hire e-vehicles) the Mayor of Hangzhou (Eastern China), the home of games company Alibaba, just signed an order for 3,000 new energy vehicles – an absolute record. In response to China’s deteriorating air quality and ecological environment Hangzhou decided to go for zero-emissions public transportation: electric buses and taxis. BYD will be making special arrangements to deliver the first 1,000 buses and 500 eTaxis by the end of 2014.

The order for 2,000 long-range, battery-electric transit buses and 1,000 long-range, pure-electric carsis one of the world’s largest all-electric fleets ever ordered. “Today the electric vehicle market is growing and EV technologies have matured to the point where every city transit should be adopting them. The turning point of new energy is now, and we want to see BYD grow the same way we saw Jack Ma’s Alibaba grow years ago,” said Secretary Gong Zheng of Hangzhou’s Municipal Committee.