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…As BYD prepares to deliver 14 electric buses to Alexandria’s transport authority
Egypt and China on Saturday signed an agreement for the manufacturing of electric vehicles in Egypt.
Two representatives of the Military Factory 200 and Emot Design and Consultancy Company signed the agreement on behalf of Egypt while a representative of Foton Motor company for the automotive industry signed on behalf of China .
Egyptian Military Production Minister, Mohamed al-Assar and his Trade and Industry counterpart, Amr Nassar, witnessed the agreement signing ceremony.
Commenting on the new deal, Assar maintained that the project to manufacture electric cars in Egypt was under the supervision of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and was in accordance with his directives aimed at full manufacturing of these cars, as well as Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s encouragement of the project .
Assar stressed that the partnership agreement with the Foton Motor will ensure the joint manufacturing of 2000 buses in four years with 45 per cent local production content from Egypt.
The project’s next stage will include the joint manufacturing of other types of electric cars in cooperation with the Military Factory 200.
Assar said the second phase will be for the manufacture of major buses with a capacity of 180 passengers.
The joint agreement signed last weekend came as the Public Transport Authority of Alexandria prepares to take delivery of 14 electric buses from Chinese automaker, BYD, by the middle of May.
Omar Suleiman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of al-Amal Company for automotive manufacturing and assembling, BYD’s agent in Egypt, said the Alexandria’s transport authority had earlier tested the first electric bus supplied by BYD in October 2018, stressing that the bus was satisfactorily tested for three months.
In 2017, the transport authority had made a public tender for the supply of the 15 electric buses and seven international manufacturers applied for the tender, which was won by BYD in January 2018. The tender value estimated at US$40 million, includes the 15 buses, opening of 15 freight stations for the buses, and the establishment of a service centre for the maintenance and provision of original spare parts for the duration of the warranty.
Suleiman called on the government to officially announce a plan to replace traditional transport vehicles with electric vehicles, in order to protect the environment from pollution, similar to what European governments are doing.
Source: EGYPT INDEPENDENT
