BYD widens its presence in Europe by selling 100K EVs to German rental company SIXT
Mere months after announcing its expansion into several European markets, Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) is making quick moves to get more of its EVs on streets overseas. German car rental company SIXT has just signed on to purchase around 100,000 EVs from BYD that will be available to rent in Europe beginning this year.
BYD is on a roll this week… actually this entire year. A few days ago, the Chinese EV automaker shared its September sales numbers, showcasing record highs for a seventh straight month and 161% year-over-year growth compared to 2021.
BYD’s new markets outside of China showed similar growth trends, despite the automaker only announcing entry into Europe this summer. BYD will sell three EVs in the EU to begin, including the Atto 3 priced under 40,000 euros.
With EV deliveries to Germany and Sweden beginning this quarter and plans for sales in Japan as well, there is a lot to be optimistic about in regard to BYDs prospective future.
SIXT has taken notice as well, and looks to be the first car rental company in Europe to offer BYD EVs. If you live in Europe and haven’t seen a BYD vehicle before, there’s a good chance you’ll see one on the road before the end of 2022.
SIXT and BYD sign purchase agreement for 100K EVs by 2028
According to a press release from SIXT, it will purchase “around 100,000” EVs from BYD to offer as rental vehicles throughout Europe. The first stage of the agreement includes several thousand BYD EVs that will be available to customers this quarter, beginning in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK.
This initial purchase will consist of Atto 3 c-segment SUVs, so European customers using SIXT can expect to rent those EVs first. The Atto 3 also features BYD’s unique blade batteries.
According to SIXT, its initial order for BYD EVs is the first phase of a six-year rollout that should total roughly 100K vehicles. This massive purchase agreement is part of the rental company’s strategy to electrify 70-90% of its fleet in Europe by 2030. SIXT SE’s chief business officer Vinzenz Pflanz elaborated:
SIXT offers easy-to-use, flexible, and limitless mobility to its customers every day. With over one million units produced from January to August 2022, BYD is the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer in the area of eMobility. The agreement with BYD is an important milestone to deliver on our promise of putting significantly more e-cars onto the street. We are very much looking forward to our cooperation with BYD.
Although SIXT’s current agreement for BYD EVs includes the EU and UK only, the companies relayed that they are already exploring potential opportunities to collaborate in different regions around the world. That could very well mean China and Japan, but probably not the US yet. Although SIXT operates in the United States, BYD does not sell passenger EVs there.
If they were to do so, it could make for some excellent competition, as SIXT’s car rental competitors like Hertz have already signed similar purchase agreements for EVs with automakers like Tesla and most recently, GM. Check back with Electrek soon to see what BYD is up to next, it’s sure to be something.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
When the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit expired September 30th, a number of carmakers leaped into action, offering rebates, price cuts, and promos of their own in a bid to keep the good times rolling. Now, it seems like even Rolls-Royce is getting in on the act with a fresh $5,000 rebate of its own for November.
CarScoops is reporting a rare lease incentive offering on the ultra-luxe Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe that it says, “replaces the expired $7,500 Federal EV tax credit.”
Granted, with the price of the base Spectre starting at $397,750 and climbing quickly to $467,750 for the Spectre Black Badge model, the big coupe is well above the old $80K cap and its buyers likely make far too much to qualify anyway — but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my few brushes with Real Wealth™, it’s this: those hate paying taxes.
As such, it’s not that hard to imagine a Rolls-Royce salesperson explaining this in those terms. “This isn’t a discount or a sale or anything so gaudy,” he’d explain, dismissing any concern as petty as price. “We’re simply honoring the tax credit that you deserve.”
Rolling deep
The Rolls-Royce Spectre first rolled (Ha!) into showrooms in 2023 with a perfect sufficient 430 kW (577 hp) electric motor drawing energy from a stout, 120 kWh battery pack good for up to 265 miles (~425 km) of range. The Black Badge version bumps the horsepower to 650 (485 kW), but the purists will tell you that either number is enough.
You can find out more about Rolls-Royce’ EV leas deals, below, then let us know what you think about this sordid business of “discount dash” in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarScoops; images via Rolls-Royce.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Germany is about to become home to Europe’s largest battery storage system – a massive 1 gigawatt (GW) / 4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) project in Jänschwalde, Brandenburg.
LEAG Clean Power GmbH and Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of US-based Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC), are teaming up to build the “GigaBattery Jänschwalde 1000.” The four-hour system will use Fluence’s Smartstack technology, its latest large-scale energy storage solution.
Once complete, Europe’s largest battery storage project will play a key role in stabilizing Germany’s grid and storing renewable power for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. It’s designed to deliver essential grid services, support energy trading, and boost energy security as the country phases out fossil fuels.
LEAG’s broader “GigawattFactory” plan combines solar and wind farms with flexible power plants and large-scale batteries across Germany’s Lusatian energy region. “By constructing gigascale storage facilities, we’re addressing one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: ensuring constant power regardless of the availability of renewable energies,” said Adi Roesch, CEO of the LEAG Group.
Fluence CEO Julian Nebreda described the project as a “milestone for the energy future of Germany and Europe,” adding that it demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can “transform the foundation of our economy and our everyday lives.”
The German government recently reaffirmed the importance of storage in building a secure and affordable clean power system. With this 4 GWh giant, LEAG and Fluence are implementing that priority in one of Europe’s most coal-heavy regions.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!
Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024