UPDATE 1-Chinese city stops E-taxi service after fire
Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:05am GMT
REUTERS AFRICA
BEIJING/HONG KONG, April 13 (Reuters) - All 30 electric-powered taxis in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou were taken out of service after one cab's engine compartment caught fire, an executive at the cab operator said on Wednesday.
No one was hurt when the car, made by a tiny private firm, Zotye Auto, started burning on Tuesday while it was on a city road, said the executive, who declined to be named.
"It's the first accident since we started operation in January. We are not sure what has happened, whether it's just an isolated case or whether all the 15 cars we got from Zotye have problems," he said.
Privately owned auto parts supplier Wangxiang is the provider of the rest of the company's E-fleet.
Zotye Auto president Jin Zheyoung was quoted by local media as saying a faulty battery might have caused the fire, but he did not elaborate.
But Jonny Li, deputy general manager of Zotye Auto's parent, said there could be a number of possibilities.
"It's an isolated incident. We are still investigating it and not sure exactly what had caused the fire," Li told Reuters.
"It's normal that such things happened, even a BMW could catch fire sometimes," he added.
China launched a pilot programme in five cities last year to provide subsidies to buyers of electric and hybrid cars, as it stepped up efforts to cut emissions in the world's biggest auto market.
Warren Buffett-backed BYD and other Chinese automakers have started making hybrid or electric cars on a small scale, but there have been few sales due a lack of charging facilities, quality concerns and range anxieties.
Based in the eastern province of Zhejiang, Zotye sold more than 70,000 cars last year, including 10,000 outside China, according Li. (Reporting by Fang Yan and Ken Wills)
Source; http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOil ... dChannel=0
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