AMÉRICA ECONOMÍA (Chile)
BOGOTA - Though few have ever heard of BYD, the Chinese industrial conglomerate has more than twice as many employees as Apple. Now, on the other side of the world, visitors and residents in Bogota are getting to know BYD well, after it began supplying the Colombian capital with Latin America's first electric taxis.
BYD is one of just a handful of companies globally to produce completely electric cars, América Economia reports. The company's strength comes as the largest producers of rechargable batteries in the world, which gave it a huge advantage when it decided to enter the electric car market by acquiring an auto maker in 2003.
Bogota by night - Traffic! photo: Jose Gacel
Colombia has already authorized 49 electric taxis in the capital, and it hoping that this first foray into electric taxis will expand into all the cities in the country, as a way to help reduce dependance on fossil fuels, América Economia reports.
Colombia follows Mexico and Chile into the market of electric taxis. BYD has also recently agreed to supply its green vehicles to London.
