To support global expansion, BYD deploys eight car carriers

The leading manufacturer of EVs in China, BYD, intends to expand its fleet of car carriers to eight in the next two years in order to increase export capacity.

This comes as the nation's dominance in new energy vehicles is expected to spread to the ocean.

In an effort to address the lack of shipping capacity for auto exports, BYD's founder and chairman, Wang Chuanfu, announced last month that the company would be deploying seven car carriers over the next two years.

Shiploads of BYD's electric vehicles and other non-electric vehicles (NEVs) left Shenzhen's Xiaomo International Logistics Port for Europe in January. China International Marine Containers' shipbuilding affiliate, CIMC Raffles, built the roll-on/roll-off (RORO) vessel BYD Explorer No. 1.

The shipping business Zodiac Maritime, based in London, placed the order for the vessel, which can accommodate 7,000 vehicles. According to CIMC Raffles, it is the first car carrier constructed in a Chinese shipyard specifically for the export of cars made in the country.

A division of China State Shipping Corporation, CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering, intends to construct two ships with a capacity of 7,000 BYD automobiles. In Guangzhou, work on the two ships has already started.

BYD also intends to lower transportation costs by securing its own vessels in light of the rising car carrier charter fees.

With 4.9 million automobiles exported in 2023—a 58% increase from 2022—China overtook Japan as the world's largest exporter. To 1.2 million units, exports of NEVs—including plug-in hybrids—rose by 78%. Last year, BYD doubled its sales of NEVs abroad every month, reaching 240,000 units overall.