Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has finally deployed its first cargo ship to deliver its models to the European market on January 9, the vessel developer CIMC announced.
First BYD cargo ship heads to Europe
According to the report, the inaugural cargo ship developed to carry BYD EVs docked at Yantai Port on January 9.
Then, it will travel to Shenzhen’s Xiaomo Port to load the BYD cars before setting sail to Europe.
“The ship arrived at Yantai Port at around 6 p.m. on January 9 and berthed at Yantai Ro-Ro Terminal to begin loading. The next stop, the ship will go to Xiaomo Port in Shenzhen to load the truck and then go to Europe.”
CIMC
BYD’s growth
BYD successfully beat Tesla in electric vehicle sales in the fourth quarter of the year. Nonetheless, it continues to seek expansion prospects, with its first cargo ship set to deliver its EVs to Europe.
It has also advanced as a market leader in various key markets, including Thailand, Brazil, and Columbia. It has also started penetrating the Mexican, Australian, and Indian markets, among others,
Its affordable EV models like Dolphin (~$17,000) and Yuan Plus (~$19,000) significantly attract more customers to choose BYD cars over other models from rival brands.
BYD Explorer 1
BYD’s cargo ship Explorer 1 signifies the first Chinese-made vessel to carry domestic electric vehicles overseas.
CIMC manufactured the vessel, which is owned by Zodiac Maritime. BYD is leasing it as the first unit in its “sea-going fleet.”
BYD Explorer 1 has a length of 199.9 meters and a width of 38 meters. It also features a 9-meter design draft and 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h) design speed.
Impressively, it employs a natural gas (LNG)/fuel dual-fuel propulsion system, a battery, and a shaft generator. It also boasts energy-saving features such as energy-efficient devices, anti-fouling paint, and drag-reducing measures. In addition, it can carry a maximum of 7,000 electric vehicles.
BYD’s first electric vehicle cargo ship signifies a huge achievement for the company as it seeks to reach new global markets. In FY 2023, it sold 3 million new energy vehicles, with all-electric accounting for 1.6 million units. It will undoubtedly be exciting to see how BYD would maintain its advantage over the American pioneer Tesla.
