As a taxi in Rotterdam, later also in Brussels
BYD is one of the Chinese newcomers to the Dutch market. However? Yes and no, because BYDs were already delivered in the Netherlands ten years ago. In Rotterdam, to be precise.
In 2022 it was announced that Louwman, known for the import of Toyota and Lexus, among other things, would be responsible for the import and sale of BYDs in the Netherlands. Things have gone fast since then, because after the Tang, the Han and the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal have now also been added to the menu of this Chinese brand. BYD Auto is therefore not a small boy. It has been around in China for about twenty years and has grown into a true giant there, especially in the field of batteries and EVs. It also supplies its battery packs for electric cars to many other automakers, including, yes, Tesla.
It is therefore not surprising that BYD is seen as one of the most promising Chinese newcomers. The big question is: how new is the brand in the Netherlands? Ten years ago, in 2013, electric BYDs were also registered on Dutch license plates. At that time, they were not yellow, but blue license plates. The only customer was the Rotterdam Taxi Centrale (RTC, with apologies for the space), which, after a trial in 2013, decided to expand the total BYD fleet to approximately 25 units. The goal was of course to offer electric taxi transport, and that was not so easy in 2013. Teslas were expensive, Leafs perhaps a bit tight and there wasn’t much else.
The choice therefore fell on the BYD e6, a kind of spacious crossover that seems perfect for taxi work. That is not coincidental, because BYD seems to have developed this car precisely with this type of market in mind and put the e6 on the road as a taxi, not only in the Netherlands, but also in other Western countries and in its home country China. Close to home, after Rotterdam, this was the case in Brussels, for example, where there were even more e6s on the road with 34 units than in Rotterdam.
The BYD e6 was also used as a taxi in Brussels from October 2014
The BYD e6 was an MPV-like crossover that, with a length of 4.56 meters, is about the same size as the current Volkswagen ID4. The ones in Rotterdam had a 61 kWh battery pack and could last ‘up to 300 kilometers’. Not an economy miracle, but developments have not stood still in ten years. If you look around Rotterdam carefully, you may well come across such an e6. As far as we know, they have not been providing taxi services for a long time, but at least part of the fleet should still be driving around on yellow plates. As a cheap electric used car, although the parts supply will not be optimal.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl