BYD Stops ICE Car Production To Become A Plug-in Hybrid and EV Manufacturer

It’s the end of an era for BYD of China, as it's announced that it will stop the production of the ICE (petrol or diesel) cars. It’ll continue to produce and introduce new plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles (PHEVs and EVs) in global markets. Electrified vehicles, also called new energy vehicles (NEVs), account for the majority of the carmaker’s sales in its home country.

#BYD Shifts Manufacturing Away From Making ICE Vehicles—Focuses Manufacturing on PHEV & Pure EVs!#ElectricVehicle #techtwitter #technews #EVNews pic.twitter.com/7LkvqG1Dvm

— BYD (@BYDCompany) April 4, 2022

BYD’s sales of PHEVs and EVs outnumber those of ICE cars, but petrol and diesel models still accounted for a substantial portion of the carmaker’s global sales last year. It sold 7.3 lakh vehicles in 2021, of which 5.93 lakh were NEVs. Over 18 percent of cars sold last year were ICE vehicles. 

Nevertheless, China’s vast EV market and places with high rates of EV adoption such as North America and Europe are likely to keep the demand for EVs growing. BYD is also expanding across south Asian markets such as Singapore. 

The Chinese carmaker offers a wide array of EVs across multiple segments in its home country – the Han and Qin Pro sedans, Song Pro and Tang compact SUVs and the Yuan subcompact SUV. 

Apart from cars, BYD also produces and exports commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks of different sizes. 

Also read: 

• BYD e6 Electric MPV Launched In India At Rs 29.15 Lakh 

• Nissan To Sell Only Electrified Vehicles In Europe By 2023 

• Used Jaguar I-Pace Batteries Get A Second Life In Energy Storage Systems For Formula E 

In India, the carmaker offers the BYD E6 electric MPV, although it’s not available for private car buyers. It’s a five-seater people mover with 95PS and 180Nm that retails for Rs 29.15 lakh (ex-showroom). It has a WLTP-tested range between 415km and 520km, and its 71.2kWh battery pack can be juiced up to 80 percent in 35 minutes with a DC fast charger. 

BYD’s shift towards electrified vehicles is a part of its initiative to “Cool the Earth by one degree Celsius”. China is aiming to become carbon neutral in the long term, and it expects to hit the peak of its carbon emissions before 2030.