Fleet and business drivers in the U.K., Germany, France, and the Netherlands will soon get a taste of what it’s like to drive a Chinese electric car if they use car rental facilities from Sixt.

The e-mobility provider has just signed a deal with BYD — China’s leading manufacturer of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) — that will see 100,000 EVs delivered over the next six years. The long-term partnership will commence with a few thousand EVs that will become available to Sixt customers thru Q4 2022. The first model to be delivered is the compact SUV Atto 3 model.

The remaining 100,000 vehicle agreement will be played out over the next six years as part of Sixt’s strategy to have up to 90% of its fleet electrified by 2030.

Vinzenz Pflanz, chief business officer for sales and vehicle purchase at Sixt SE, commented: “Sixt offers easy-to-use, flexible, and limitless mobility to its customers every day. With over one million units produced from January to August 2022, BYD is the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer in the area of e-mobility. The agreement with BYD is an important milestone to deliver on our promise of putting significantly more e-cars onto the street. We are very much looking forward to our cooperation with BYD.”

The agreement promises to extend further than the six years, BYD saying that as the agreement matures, both companies would co-operate on exploring additional e-mobillty opportunities in different world regions.

Michael Shu, general manager and managing director, BYD Europe and International Cooperation Division, said: “Co-operations are a core part of the BYD business strategy. We are delighted to start our co-operation with Sixt as we take our first steps into the rental market. Our shared vision allows us to build our green dreams together, initially starting in Europe. We aim to inspire Sixt customers with our latest products and innovations in EV technology. These are exciting times for BYD, as our market leading solutions provide greater access, and more options for electric mobility. We look forward to a long and flourishing partnership with Sixt.”

Sixt operates in more than 100 countries with nearly 2100 branches. It offers car rental as well as carsharing, ride hailing and car subscription services.