Sales of electric cars are soaring, with more than 48% over the first four months of the year, thanks in particular to the progress of Chinese brands. BYD, the Chinese world leader in electric cars, is increasing its technologies to face the competition.
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Exceptionally, the France Télévisions teams were able to enter the BYD test center with a racing track for electric cars sold commercially. Even more original, there is a swimming pool for testing an amphibious car. A Frenchman is responsible for promoting off-roading which will arrive in Europe in 2027. “When there is a flood, we can get out of a complicated situation. The car is capable of floating for 30 minutes and moving on water thanks to the four independent motors,” explains Alexandre Bonhomme, marketing manager at BYD.
In the gadget section, we also find the automatic slot function. The vehicle moves like a crab and parks exactly between two vehicles. Because in China, the competition is fierce, like the Beijing show: dozens of Chinese brands, 1,400 vehicles, almost all electric or hybrid. And all manufacturers promise fast charging or, better yet, battery swapping to save time on the road. “With our exchange system, having a new charged battery only takes 99 seconds,” explains Xiaomei Wang, CATL – battery manufacturer (China).
BYD is banking on its new generation recharges, even in extreme cold, which represents a danger for the batteries. In a minus 32 degree case, it takes 12 minutes for a full charge. The vice-president of BYD admits, her group has hired an army of engineers. “We have 120,000 engineers in research and development, and we file 52 patents per working day,” says Stella Li, vice-president of BYD.
And to sell cheaper. At 8,000 euros for the first price car in China, BYD manufactures its vehicles 100%. This is not the case for European manufacturers. “We control the entire production chain. This is vertical integration. Every single component is manufactured by BYD. This allows us to negotiate discounts with suppliers and optimize production,” says Diego Pareschi, BYD technical director. In 2025, BYD will sell 4.6 million cars. The leading Chinese manufacturer is selling more and more abroad and dreams of invading Europe, which has become a new priority market.
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Originally published at Almouwatin.com
