Shocked! That's how U.S. makers of electric buses say they feel, following a decision by the transit authority of Long Beach, California, to buy 10 electric buses made in China--but financed by U.S. taxpayers.The contract, worth more than $12 million, was awarded in April by a 5-2 vote of Long Beach Transit's board of directors. Ebus, a U.S. maker based in Downey, California, protested the decision by letter. The company, one of 4 losing domestic bidders, complained that the terms of the competition had been changed at the last minute in a way that favored the winner, China-based BYD. Andy Eklov, owner of Ebus, tells the Long Beach Press-Telegram that Long Beach originally asked for buses capable of being re-charged periodically during daily use, rather than overnight in one long session. The change, he contends, worked in BYD's favor.
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