Electric Vehicle brand BYD is one step closer to getting cars on the road in Australia after obtaining ADR approval for the ATTO 3 today.

ADR stands for Australian Design Rules and is the standard by which every car sold in Australia must be held to before it can be driven on our roads. It sets out standards for vehicle safety, anti-theft and emissions.

It’s an important step for BYD which has been hyping its potential in Australia for over a year now and began taking orders earlier this year. While the initial delivery timeline of July has not been met, EFTM understands the first boat load of Australian BYD vehicles is out to sea and should arrive within weeks.

Speaking exclusively to EFTM, Luke Todd, the head of EV Direct said “We are please to reach another milestone in what is the largest new car brand launch in Australian automotive history.

With more than 3500 electric vehicles already under order of which most are on the production line as we speak and some on-ship to Australia already, we now look forward to the next phase of delivery preparedness with our eleven new BYD Experience Centres being readied nationwide for deliveries to commence next month.

At the same time, in line with a new partnership with national car retail network Eagers Automotive EV Direct looks to have increased the potential sales for the ATTO 3 with an expanded production capacity with Todd telling us “For any new customers wishing to buy an electric vehicle, we have increased our production capacity to 3000 ATTO3’s per month, therefore any new orders placed now via www.EVDirect.com will be delivered comfortably by the end of the year.

Those Aussies with orders in for a BYD Atto 3 are desperate for their orders, with Extended Range orders being fulfilled first, and standard range to come closer to year’s end.

No word yet on ANCAP safety rating, though it should be noted that is not a requirement for a vehicle to be sold in Australia – though it will be an important tickbox in the sales tool for prospective owners.