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Leading global EV maker BYD is making big moves to stay on top of the market. Its latest deal gives Ford and GM supplier BorgWarner rights to its BYD Blade battery packs.

BYD signs deal with Ford, GM supplier for battery packs

BorgWarner announced the strategic agreement with BYD’s battery unit, FinDreams. Under the deal, the auto supply giant will be “the only non-OEM localized manufacturer with rights to localize BYD’s Blade LFP battery packs for commercial vehicles.”

The supplier will be the preferred manufacturer of LFP battery packs using FinDream’s Blade battery cells in the Americas, Europe, and other regions in Asia Pacific. The deal is for eight years.

In addition to receiving BYD’s Blade cells to build battery packs, BorgWarner will also gain rights to FinDreams battery’s IP, including the design and manufacturing process.

BorgWarner’s CEO, Frédéric Lissalde, said LFP batteries are “an exciting technology” that’s becoming increasingly important due to its lower prices.

“We believe FinDreams Battery is right for BorgWarner in this area, with its 20-plus years of experience and success in LFP batteries for the mobility sector across China and Europe,” Lissalde explained.

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BYD Seal electric sedan (Source: BYD Europe)

BYD dominated the LFP battery market with a 41% share through last November, according to data from the China Automotive Battery Industry Alliance. Chinese rival CATL was second with 33.9%.

The company’s Blade Battery is powering EVs that are already being sold globally. BYD’s Seal, which launched in Mexico in December, has claimed range of up to 435 miles (700 km). And it starts at under $45,000 (778,800 pesos).

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BYD Atto 3 (Source: BYD)

BYD’s LFP batteries played a key role in the automaker surpassing Tesla to become the largest EV maker globally in the last three months of 2023.

Meanwhile, BorgWarner, which supplies auto parts to Ford, GM, and Stellantis, to name a few, has recently doubled down on the Chinese market.

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BYD Seagull (Source: BYD)

The BYD deal comes on the same day it secured a contract with a major Chinese OEM for dual inverters. BorgWarner also began building eMotor rotors and Stators for XPeng last week. Xpeng will use the parts on its X9 MPV, which will begin production in Q3.

Electrek’s Take

Although many automakers, including Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, and Toyota, already use BYD’s Blade batteries overseas, the move shows how far ahead BYD is.

Ford’s chief operating officer for its EV unit, Marin Gjaja, said at a panel Wednesday in Detroit that cheaper Chinese EVs are a “colossal strategic threat” that will enter the US.

Gjaja said Ford better “get going on EVs, or we don’t have a future as a company,” adding, “They are ahead of us in this technology.”

BYD Mexico CEO Zhou Sou told Nikkei this week the company is considering building a plant in the nation. It will serve as an export hub to the US.

“If I was sitting in China right now running a Chinese OEM, I’d be looking for land in Mexico,” Gjaja said Wednesday. In Mexico, you have “a supplier base, low cost of construction, low cost of labor, and the USMCA trade agreement,” giving you access to the US.

Gjaja said Cheaper Chinese EVs are “going to come here, just as the Japanese ended up here, the Koreans ended up here and the Germans ended up here. It’s a big market.”

Meanwhile, BYD is launching its cheapest EV not too far from the US in Brazil. The BYD Dolphin Mini (Seagull) will start at $20,100 (99,800 reals) as BYD looks to expand overseas.

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BYD just launched the world’s largest car carrier to charge up its global EV ambitions

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BYD just launched the world's largest car carrier to charge up its global EV ambitions

The BYD Shenzen, its new ro-ro ship that can carry 9,200 vehicles, has officially undocked. BYD’s new car carrier is the world’s largest as the EV giant aggressively expands overseas. After sales surged last year, the Chinese EV leader looks for even more global market share in 2025.

BYD Shenzen undocks as the world’s largest car carrier

BYD sold a record 4.25 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) last year, over 40% more than it did in 2023. That includes electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

Although several automakers have yet to release full-year sales results, BYD is expected to outsell several global auto leaders, such as Ford, Honda, and Nissan. Meanwhile, this year could be even bigger for China’s largest automaker.

According to a new report from China News Service (via IT Home), the BYD Shenzen, the company’s fourth ro-ro (roll-on/Roll-off) ship, finished undocking and is ready to set sail.

BYD’s new car carrier is the world’s largest, capable of transporting up to 9,200 vehicles. Since 2024, BYD has launched four ro-ro ships as it expands into new overseas markets.

The first, the BYD Explorer No 1, was launched in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Europe, including Spain and Germany, and also docked in Brazil.

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BYD Explorer No 1 unloading cars in Brazil (Source: BYD)

BYD’s second (BYD Changzhou) was put into operation in early December 2024, followed by the BYD Hefei, which set sail last week. All three can carry up to 7,000 vehicles.

The Hefei hit the seas last week, carrying 5,000 NEVs. BYD said the vessel will “accelerate the internationalization process of China’s new energy vehicles.”

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BYD Hefei sets sail for Europe carrying nearly 5,000 new energy vehicles (Source: BYD)

The BYD Shenzen, named after its hometown, is not only the world’s largest but also the most environmentally friendly. According to the report, the new ship includes BYD box-type battery packs and shaft-belt generators for the first time.

Electrek’s Take

BYD has already entered 100 countries and regions globally, but it’s poised for even more growth in 2025. After producing over 1.77 million vehicles last year, BYD topped Tesla by about 4,500 units to become the world’s largest EV maker.

Meanwhile, Tesla delivered slightly more fully electric vehicles, with 1.78 million in 2024, compared to BYD’s 1.76 million.

With an influx of new rivals in China, BYD is aggressively expanding into new overseas. After entering Japan in 2023, a market dominated by domestic automakers, BYD sold more EVs than Toyota in 2024.

After launching its first EV in South Korea this week, starting at just over $20,000, BYD will now challenge Hyundai and Korea on their home turf.

BYD’s growing presence is forcing legacy automakers to take drastic actions to keep up. After falling behind, Japan’s Nissan and Honda are now teaming up on EVs to fend off BYD’s surge.

In Thailand, or the “Detroit of Asia,” as it’s called, Japanese automakers have watched their market share fall from 90% to just 76% over the past two years amid BYD’s growing presence.

With new vehicles launching in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and many more regions this year, BYD is poised for more growth in 2025.

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Rivian (RIVN) stock rises as Volkswagen plans to expand $5.8 billion EV partnership

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Rivian (RIVN) stock rises as Volkswagen plans to expand .8 billion EV partnership

Rivian’s (RIVN) stock is trending on Friday after Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume hinted at expanding upon their new EV partnership. Volkswagen’s boss said the company could offer “great opportunities” for Rivian. Here’s what the new plans could include.

Rivian stock climbs on Volkswagen EV partnership plans

After launching their new joint venture in November, “Rivian and VW Group Technology, LLC,” Volkswagen is already looking to expand its partnership with the EV startup.

Blume told German news outlet Spiegel that “The Volkswagen Group offers great opportunities for a small brand like Rivian” on Friday. For example, Volkswagen’s head honcho said, “We are thinking about sharing modules and bundling purchasing volumes.”

Volkswagen already plans to invest up to $5.8 billion in the collaboration, which, according to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, is a “meaningful financial opportunity.”

So far, the partnership is mainly software support. Rivian is using its software expertise to develop a new EV architecture to power up new SDV (software-defined) electric vehicles.

Rivian already uses the platform and software stack, which consists of seven control units. Volkswagen models typically have over 100 of these units. The next steps could involve a joint purchase, deepening the VW/ Rivian EV alliance.

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Rivian R1T (left) and R1S (right) electric vehicles (Source: Rivian)

The architecture is designed to cut costs and speed up output. According to the report, a new ultra-luxury three-row Porsche electric SUV, codenamed “K1” internally, and the electric Golf successor will be among the first EVs to feature the new architecture.

Audi, Porsche, and the upcoming Scout brand for the US will use the new tech. Scout will launch an off-road electric SUV and pickup built at Volkswagen’s new plant in South Carolina from 2027.

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Rivian’s next-gen R2, R3, and R3X (Source: Rivian)

The news comes after Rivian closed a loan agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday for up to $6.6 billion in funding for its new EV plant in Georgia.

Rivian’s second manufacturing plant will house its midsize R2 and R3 electric models. The smaller, more affordable electric SUV and crossover will also benefit from the Volkswagen alliance.

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Rivian (RIVN) stock price January 2024 through January 2025 (Source: TradingView)

On Friday, Rivian stock trended up over 5% after Volkswagen’s Blume hinted at expanding the new EV partnership. Since reporting third-quarter earnings in November, RIVN shares are up over 57%. However, they are still down nearly 10% over the past 12 months.

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Imported Tesla Cybertruck is seized by police in the UK, deemed dangerous and not legal

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Imported Tesla Cybertruck is seized by police in the UK, deemed dangerous and not legal

Police have seized an imported Tesla Cybertruck in the UK as it is not road-legal in the country and deemed dangerous for pedestrians.

Tesla has always known that its Cybertruck design would be complicated to get homologated in other markets than North America, where the rules are similar between the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company admitted that it might limit the markets where Cybertruck would be sold, which is why Tesla doesn’t plan to expand beyond current markets.

However, it hasn’t stopped people from privately importing Cybertrucks to their home markets.

We have seen two Cybertrucks traveling through Europe, and they were stopped at Lithuanian customs due to suspicions that they were going to Russia.

Sure enough, Russian warlord and Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov took delivery of Cybertrucks and outfitted them with machine guns a few months later and then claimed that they joined the war effort in Ukraine.

Other Cybertrucks made their way to other markets like China.

Now, we learn that one has made it to the UK, but it didn’t last long.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced that the seized the Cybertruck pictured above that was roaming the streets in the UK illegally. They wrote on social media:

Whilst this may seem trivial to some, legitimate concerns exist around the safety of other road users or pedestrians if they were involved in a collision with the Cybertruck.

Tesla had brought the vehicle in the UK, but only for demonstration. It never tried to make it legal in the country.

The police added:

The Tesla Cybertruck is not road-legal in the UK and does not hold a certificate of conformity.

The authorities said that the Cybertruck was registered and insured abroad, but the driver was a UK resident. They will have to show prove of ownership and insurance to release the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

The authorities are clearly right here since the vehicle is not road-legal currently, but could it be road-legal? It’s hard to say.

The police here repeat claims that the Cybertruck might be dangerous for pedestrians in crashes. That has been a concern that has often been raised since the truck launched in 2023.

It looks obvious based on the design of the Cybertruck. However, we haven’t seen third-party crash testing of the Cybertruck yet, and it might take a while before we do.

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