Electric trucks: BYD already has the tools to shake up Mercedes, Volvo, and Tesla
- Published on 16/09/2026 15:10
With its new heavy-duty ETT 44, BYD is challenging the benchmarks of European transport, relying on an industrial experience that predates its automotive breakthrough.
Discovering BYD in the rearview mirrors of Mercedes, MAN, Volvo, or Tesla may come as a surprise. However, the Chinese manufacturer is not entering the professional transport market with just a few batteries in hand.
Its electric history far exceeds that of its cars that have recently arrived in our markets. BYD was already manufacturing electric buses in 2010. In January 2019, it celebrated its 50,000th unit! Its electric vans and trucks have been on the market since 2013. So that’s thirteen years of experience in freight transport, in addition to its experience with passenger fleets.
The Trap of Underestimating BYD
The real advantage of BYD lies underneath the bodywork. Born in batteries in 1995, the group also masters electric motors, power electronics, and semiconductors. This industrial integration gives it levers to contain costs, secure supplies, and collaboratively adapt essential components. Source: BYD.
In Hanover, the ETT 44 embodies this ambition: up to 1,000 hp, a 651 kWh battery, an announced range of 600 km, and charging from 20 to 80% in twenty minutes. BYD also offers charging, energy storage, and financing: concrete advantages for transporters.
Does this allow it to compete with equivalents, or even gain an edge in certain criteria? Clearly. But a technical sheet does not prove overall superiority: payload, actual consumption, price, reliability, and service availability will distinguish competitors. However, BYD has an industrial legitimacy that its still-recent notoriety in Europe could lead some to underestimate. Its rivals would be wrong to see it as a beginner.
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This page is translated from the original post "Camions électriques : BYD a déjà les armes pour faire trembler Mercedes, Volvo et Tesla" in French.
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