Chinese car maker BYD secured a deal to provide London’s greentomatocars minicab service with a fleet of all-electric cars. According to the proposed deal, BYD will supply 50 electric e6 minicabs to the company for trial from the second quarter of 2013.

The e6 is a spacious crossover/estate vehicle with five seats and large luggage capacity. Powered by a 75kW motor and BYD’s own Fe battery (Iron Phosphate battery), the e6 it completely emission-free and has a range of 186 miles on a single charge. It has a top speed of 87 mph, which given the 70 mph speed limit, is more than enough.

BYD’s Fe batteries can be fully charged and discharged for more than 4,000 cycles. Their e6 taxis are well-proven and have already driven a total of more than 14 million miles in key global markets.

This deal is not only good for BYD financially, it also gives them international recognition as a green car maker. It is also good the city of London. Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that he wants all London minicabs and taxis to be zero-emission by 2020.