SHENZHEN-BASED electric automaker BYD has won the bids to supply vehicles to the U.S. state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta, the company said in a statement released Monday.

BYD said it will supply Georgia’s statewide contracts for public mass transit and transportation vehicles, specifically for battery-electric buses.

“BYD is excited to be working with customers in Georgia and we look forward to growing our presence in the state and improving the air quality for Georgians,” said Bobby Hill, vice president of North America for BYD Coach and Bus.

The resulting statewide contract will be a “convenient” source for all state of Georgia governmental entities, including but not limited to state offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissioners, institutions, colleges, universities, as well as local government, municipalities, cities, townships, counties and other political subdivisions of the state of Georgia.

In addition, the company also won the bid to become one of the suppliers for the city of Atlanta’s electric vehicles, which include electric heavy-duty trucks, taxi fleet vehicles, and buses.

“BYD’s medium and heavy duty all-electric vehicles will help Atlanta achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 20 percent from 2009 levels by 2020 and by 40 percent by 2030,” the statement said.

BYD is the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, as well as the largest electric bus maker in North America.  It is present in more than 200 cities around the world.

With deliveries of battery-powered electric buses to more than 40 U.S. clients, including Facebook, Stanford University, University of California in Los Angeles, and Long Beach Transit, BYD announced last month its joint venture with Generate Capital, Inc., a leading U.S.-based financier, owner, and operator of distributed infrastructure, to launch the first electric bus-leasing program of its kind in the United States.

The first electric bus manufacturer with a unionized workforce, BYD’s cutting-edge facility in Lancaster, California, includes more than 800 highly-skilled workers.

Since its inception in 1995, BYD quickly developed solid expertise in rechargeable batteries and became a relentless advocate of sustainable development, successfully expanding its renewable energy solutions globally with operations in over 50 countries and regions.

Its creation of a Zero Emissions Energy Ecosystem — comprising affordable solar power generation, reliable energy storage and cutting-edge electrified transportation — has made it an industry leader in the energy and transportation sectors.

(SD-Xinhua)