Chinese e-vehicles giant BYD, which raised eyebrows with a very low bid for e-buses, may take on leading carmakers Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Nissan and Hyundai in the government’s second tender for 10,000 electric cars, sources familiar with the development said to ET.
State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) floated its second global tender for procuring 10,000 sedans for government use earlier this month. Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai, Nissan and Solar power developer ACME sent their representatives for the prebid meeting, while BYD said it has not yet taken a decision on the tender.
Participation in pre-bid meetings signal the interest of various companies in any given tender although it is not a conclusive indication. “BYD has also been looking at the EV tender, but they were missing from the pre-bid meet,” a source said to ET.
Warren Buffet-backed BYD has recently turned heads by quoting aggressively in tenders for procurement of electric buses under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme, through which the government is encouraging adoption of e-vehicles in various cities.
