The Astana Motors company has reached an agreement to launch the assembly production of BYD electric buses at the commercial vehicle plant in Almaty. This was announced during a meeting with the city’s akim, Yerbolat Dosaev, by the General Director of Commercial Transport at BYD Group, Tien Chunlun, as reported by a correspondent from the Kapital.kz business information center, citing the press service of the akimat.
"During a working trip to China, Yerbolat Dosaev visited the headquarters, production facilities, and R&D center of BYD located in Shenzhen. The akim of Almaty was presented with BYD electric buses, which are known for their safety and high-quality batteries, considered among the safest in the world. BYD batteries have been tested in the winter conditions of Denmark and have successfully undergone puncture testing, heating up to 300°C, and recharging without ignition. In 2023, the BYD Blade battery received the 'Innovation of the Year' award from the British organization Electrifying.com," the message states.
Following this, Yerbolat Dosaev discussed with Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong the exchange of experience in the field of digital transformation. Shenzhen, as a technological leader in China, has demonstrated significant progress in developing the 'smart city' concept in a relatively short period of 45 years. Today, the city is known worldwide for its use of big data, artificial intelligence, and digital twins to enhance urban management efficiency.
The akim of Almaty was introduced to the Shenzhen Urban Transportation Planning Center Co., Ltd. (SUTPC), which provides strategic and comprehensive urban planning services. SUTPC develops and implements digital twins of cities, cloud platforms for managing transportation systems, and utilizes neural networks and big data to optimize urban flows, reduce congestion, and improve road safety. As a result of the meeting, Yerbolat Dosaev and Qin Weizhong agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of digitalization, urban planning, and the transfer of new technologies and competencies.
Earlier, the akim of Almaty, Yerbolat Dosaev, discussed with the president of the China Exim Bank, Wang Chunying, the financing conditions for key infrastructure projects and the expansion of the metro network in the southern capital. The major company from Beijing, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), has expressed interest in the project for building new metro lines.
The construction of new metro lines in Almaty will require up to $1 billion in borrowed funds, and the Kazakh authorities are negotiating with international institutions. It was also reported that the akimat of Almaty is preparing a project for constructing a metro line to the airport. In the western direction, after the Kalkaman station, the metro will be extended to the Barlyk market.
Additionally, it was reported that the interval between trains in the Almaty metro has been reduced during the morning and evening rush hours to 3 minutes and 6 seconds due to the increase in passenger flow.