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Competition increases in electric car market
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February 9th, 2009
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Chinese auto-company BYD has chosen Denmark as its first European test market for electric cars
The electric car market is expanding in Denmark as Chinese manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dream) has chosen Denmark as its first European market for electric cars, due to be on the streets by 2011.
Sales manager for BYD, Henry Z. Li told Børsen financial daily that Denmark was chosen as the first European test market because it ‘has the best tax policy among EU countries in relation to electric cars.’
BYD intends to launch its own 3F DM hybrid car and the E6 electric cars on the Danish market, together with a network of car charging stations.
Li also said the company plans to have 40 to 50 car models in Copenhagen for a demonstration during the UN Climate Conference at the end of this year.
Electric car researcher Morten Rask, from the University of Aarhus, said that the news from the Chinese auto-company will create healthy competition in the market.
‘It shows that Denmark is becoming a global hotspot for electric cars of the future. There seems to be an exciting competitiveness between the very different business concepts,’ said Rask.
The other main player in bringing electric cars to Denmark is the Israeli-American venture capital project Better Place. In cooperation with DONG Energy, Better Place plans to create a national infrastructure network of 50,000 battery charging spots to establish Denmark as a viable country for mass-market electric cars by 2011.
DONG Energy will be able to store the unstable excess output of its wind turbines into the electric recharge grid, allowing the zero-emission cars to have a reliable source of renewable power. The Better Place consortium plans to introduce Renault-Nissan electric cars to Danish roads as part of its efforts.
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