Lancaster's partnership with BYD began with the "Home of the Future," in which KB Home utilized BYD's energy efficiency and storage technology to construct some of the first affordable near net-zero homes in the U.S. Through the success of this project, a working relationship was born, which BYD and Lancaster continued to cultivate as BYD Auto prepared to enter the U.S. market. Once the firm was ready to establish its manufacturing facility, Lancaster was its first stop. In May 2013, BYD Auto announced two manufacturing facilities to be located in Lancaster. These include a 120,000-square-foot BYD electric bus manufacturing facility, as well as a separate 44,000-square-foot energy storage system (large scale battery) manufacturing facility. By April 2019, BYD Lancaster had produced over 300 electric buses for US and Canada. Lancaster has the highest solar production per capita in California.