Byd, we went to China to discover technologies for the global offensive

Byd's ecosystem is evolving rapidly to move further and further out of China's borders. A move that the brand is addressing not only by growing exports, but also by placing plants in other parts of the world. For example, those soon to open in Europe, in Hungary and Turkey as well as in another country yet to be defined, or the one already operating in Brazil. However, the planning also includes other solutions to increase production and make the group climb the automotive industry rankings. It is a strategy that has been outlined for some time and that relies on a vast repertoire of technologies, such as batteries with blade-shaped cells and architectures as well as compact powertrains integrating control and management units, and that is constantly evolving. In practice, the factor Byd is counting on to expand its offer with very different models, with features suitable for very different areas and capable of satisfying very different targets.

The speed with which the group can access novel solutions developed through continuous investment in R&D (in 2024 they exceeded 54 billion Yuan, or more than 6.5 billion euros) by a team of more than 100,000 engineers that can be industrialised very quickly and anywhere, together with the optimisation of supply chains and logistics, which also makes use of a Byd fleet, are fundamental to defining models cut out to produce and distribute very different cars to be marketed at competitive prices. This is regardless of whether they are 100% electric or plug-in hybrid models. Among the most important innovations under consideration are solid-state batteries that will be offered from 2027 on premium models and by 2030 on the others, although not completely retiring the current batteries on lower-priced models. In the meantime, some Byd now rests on the Super release of the e-platform 3.0 architecture, which allows for super-fast battery recharging.

In fact, in the huge Zhengzhou plant we saw in action the 1 Megawatt ultra-fast charging unit developed by the Chinese group. The control unit that makes it possible to recover 2 kilometres of autonomy in just 1", i.e. almost 400 kilometres in 5 minutes, is already present in China and Byd but, as Vice-President Stella Li recently declared, the group intends to start installing them in Europe soon as well, both in partnership with energy sector providers and with its dealers, to complement the launch of models on the Super e-Platform architecture that will arrive in Europe. A path that, one can assume, will also be followed in other parts of the world.

Infrastructure such as the very large and varied test facility recently built in Zhengzhou is also dedicated to this objective. In addition to areas dedicated to the development of driving aid systems, it includes a track designed to optimise dynamism and traction on low-grip surfaces, as well as a steep and treacherous sandy section and a large pool where SUVs, off-roaders and pick-ups are submerged to test fording capabilities, but among which there is also one that is actually capable of navigating.

This is the U8 from the Yangwang brand, which is not imported into Europe. In practice, it is the link between a sought-after hard & pure off-road and is already well known not only for its general characteristics, the XXL size due to its length of 5.31 metres and the sophisticated powertrain made up of a petrol engine that only acts as a power generator and four electric motors for a power output of 1,200 horsepower, as well as the ability to rotate 360° on its own axis to get out of the way in critical situations. However, the U8 can do even more to challenge off-road best-sellers such as Land Rover and Toyota. That is, float and move through the water like a boat thanks to the perfect sealing of the body and the electrical and electronic parts. A feature designed to cope with extreme situations, such as flooding or the need to ford deep waterways, and in which the U8 moves by exploiting the thrust of the four electric motors, the turbine design of the large 22" wheels and the tread of its tyres. Their synergetic work can be said to simulate that of the propellers and kicks into action as soon as the electronics read that the water level reaches one metre. At that point all the windows are raised while, for safety reasons, the panoramic roof is opened and the U8 begins to sail.