Tesla rival BYD secures 200 electric vehicle orders from Dubai Taxi Company
If you are planning a holiday to Dubai, chances are you will ride in a BYD-made electric taxi. The Dubai Taxi Company (DTC) has signed a contract with the Chinese EV maker to supply 200 battery-powered BYD Seals.
DTC aims to operate a 100 percent electric taxi fleet by 2040 as Dubai pursues a wider Net Zero by 2050. The company claims 86 percent of its taxis are environmentally friendly. It operates more than 9,000 automobiles.
The BYD Seal is an electric sedan that can go up to 600 km between charges. The car uses cell-to-body to integrate the battery into the body structure to improve safety and efficiency. DTC has not revealed which variant of the Seal it is buying, but the RWD can accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. The AWD trim can achieve the same feat in 3.8 seconds, in case you need to dash between two tourist attractions.
Dubai already operates zero-tailpipe emission cabs. DTC added 250 electric taxis late in 2024. The largest taxi company, Economic Group Holdings, through its Arabia Taxi subsidiary, acquired 269 Tesla Model 3s in 2023, while the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) introduced 172 Teslas, including the Model S, Model X, and Model 3, in 2017.
