Chinese car and bus manufacturer BYD has been pushing an entrance into the American market for a while now, and it appears it’s happening through an alliance from Uber.
According to Reuters, the car-summoning app company has done a deal with the Warren Buffett-backed BYD Automobile to offer UberX drivers the opportunity to buy or lease the electric BYD e6. Currently, it’s a pilot program in the Chicago area, through the Green Wheels USA dealership.
Reuters reports about 25 BYD electrics are being used in the area, and the dealer hopes to deliver 200 of them to UberX drivers this year. While Green Wheels USA offers several plans for the drivers to use, the popular one costs the driver $200 per week for use of the e6.
BYD’s vehicles have only been part of testing in the U.S. until now as the company focuses on supplying buses, so the Uber deal marks a big break for the company in this country. It’s unclear what Uber’s timeline is for expanding this plan to other markets, but it’s reasonable to expect that if all goes well, more BYD outlets could pop up across the country.
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