Tang Jie, vice-mayor of Shenzhen, accepts the award in New York

Photo courtesy of BYD

Award Ceremony

Photo courtesy of BYD

Zero-emission e6 taxi on Shenzhen Street

Photo courtesy of BYD

New York, NY – Kicking off UN Climate Week 2014, the city of Shenzhen, China, has been honored with the C40 and Siemens City Climate Leadership Award. Victorious largely due to the city’s world leading efforts to electrify their public transportation fleets, Shenzhen has beat out other finalists Milan and Johannesburg. The city has been resourceful in working with local green-tech giant, BYD Company Ltd. to design, build and implement electric taxis and electric transit buses that now offers Shenzhen the bragging rights of the largest pure-electric vehicle fleet in the world. The award was presented at the C40 Leadership Awards Ceremony in Manhattan just one day before Shenzhen Vice-Mayor Tang Jie and BYD Company Ltd. Chairman Wang Chuanfu address the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit.

“It’s the first step for Shenzhen to become a green city. We welcome all of you to come ride the green bus”, said Tang Jie, vice mayor of Shenzhen. “On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate Shenzhen for its leadership in climate action,” said C40 Chair, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. “Though Shenzhen is one of the newest C40 cities, it has already taken aggressive measures and shown results in reducing its carbon emissions.”

Shenzhen’s project will be displayed in the world’s largest sustainable cities exhibition at the Crystal in London, where more than 100,000 annual visitors will learn about their green city solution. More than 25 cities including Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Barcelona compete for the C40’s Climate Leadership Awards.

“Though Shenzhen is undoubtedly our New Energy Vehicle leader, BYD is currently working with more than 100 global cities to implement zero emissions transit vehicles. We are excited to help Shenzhen continue growing their pure-electric fleets, and local economy.” said BYD Chairman, Wang Chuanfu.

C40 hopes other cities can be inspired by Shenzhen’s experience. “Low carbon mobility is the backbone of a sustainable city,” said C40 Executive Director Mark Watts. “Shenzhen’s New Energy Vehicle Promotion project has enabled the city to realise major emissions reductions through transportation solutions.” Both Vice Mayor Tang and Mr. Wang will attend and speak at the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit which beginning on September 23. They will share more about how the city of Shenzhen has addressed climate change and how to promote new energy vehicles.

About C40

C40 is a network of the world’s megacities taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With a unique set of assets, the C40 works with participating cities to address climate risks and impacts locally and globally. C40 cities represent more than 500 million people around the world, accounting around 20% of GDP globally. C40 was created in 2005 by former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, and forged a partnership in 2006 with the Cities Program of President Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI) to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world. Mayor Bloomberg currently serves as President of the C40 Board of Directors. For more information, please visit www.c40.org.

About BYD

BYD Company Ltd. is one of China’s largest companies and has successfully expanded globally. Specializing in battery technologies, their green mission to “solve the whole problem” has made them industry pioneers and leaders in several High-tech sectors including High-efficiency Automobiles, Electrified Public Transportation, Environmentally-Friendly Energy Storage, Affordable Solar Power and Information Technology and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) services.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, their mission to create safer and more environmentally friendly battery technologies has led to the development of the BYD Iron Phosphate (or “Fe”) Battery. This fire-safe, completely recyclable and incredibly long-cycle technology has become the core of their clean energy platform that has expanded into automobiles, buses, trucks, utility vehicles and energy storage facilities. BYD and all of their shareholders, including the great American Investor Warren Buffett, see these environmentally and economically forward products as the way of the future.

BYD has made a strong entrance to the North, Central and South American markets with their battery electric buses, and lineup of automobiles. Their mission lies not just in sales growth, but also in sociological integration and local job creation as they have poured incredible investments into developing offices, dealerships and manufacturing facilities in the local communities they now call home, truly a first for Chinese companies. For more information, please visit www.byd.com.

This article is a repost, credit: BYD.

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