BYD hits 1 million-unit outputs milestone for new energy vehicles

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- BYD announced its 1 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV) rolled off the production line on May 19, representing a significant milestone in the automaker's 13-year NEV development history.

BYD Han EV; photo credit: BYD

The automaker said BYD will sell its passenger vehicles (PVs) to Europe in the future. The first model will be the BYD Tang EV, which is expected for delivery to consumers in Norway in the third quarter this year.

BYD currently has nearly 20 NEV models for sale, including sedans and SUVs in terms of car body types, and BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) regarding powertrain solutions. Prices of BYD’s vehicles range from 80,000 yuan ($12,440) to 350,000 yuan ($54,420).

The first NEV model of BYD is the F3DM that was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008 and went on sale in December 2008 with a price of 149,800 yuan ($23,290). It is also the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) model. It uses BYD’s dual-mode powertrain that combines a 50kW 1.0-liter gasoline engine, a 25kW generator, and a 50kW traction motor, and can be switched between EV and HEV modes.

In full-electric vehicle area, BYD launched the e6 for taxi service first about eleven years ago.

BYD Tang EV; photo credit: BYD

In recent two years, BYD rolled out quite a few NEV models of the Dynasty and the e series. To move upscale, the company released such models as the Tang DM/EV and the Han DM/EV, which are priced above 250,000 yuan ($38,870).

For the first four months of 2021, BYD sold 78,414 new energy passenger vehicles, posting a year-over-year hike of 132.01%. Of those, 54,713 units were BEVs, representing 94.87% growth from a year earlier.

As of April 2021, BYD had produced over 990,000 NEVs in total.