- BYD Hefei set sail today, the second for BYD as owner and the third in its fleet.
- The vessel will sail to Europe with nearly 5,000 NEVs on board.
BYD's (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) new car carrier BYD Hefei set sail today, after completing construction at the end of September 2024.
The new energy vehicle (NEV) maker shared the development on Weibo today, saying it's the third in its fleet.
BYD Hefei will be heading to Europe with nearly 5,000 NEVs on board, the company said.
BYD didn't provide more information, but shared a video showing the BYD Hefei setting sail from Guangzhou, Guangdong province and some details of a glimpse of its interior space.
The first vessel in BYD's fleet is the BYD Explorer No. 1, entering service in January 2024, which was chartered to BYD by its owner.
Over the next two years, BYD would have another seven ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) vessels in operation, the company said in January 2024.
BYD Explorer No.1 is the first 7,000-CEU (car equivalent unit) car carrier built by CIMC Raffles, a subsidiary of China International Marine Containers (CIMC), for international shipping company Zodiac Maritime.
On September 20 last year, Guangzhou Shipyard International Co Ltd held an undocking ceremony for BYD Hefei, a 7,000-car dual-fuel ro-ro ship built for BYD Hong Kong Co Ltd.
Undocking means that the vessel had completed its construction and was ready to start its career at sea. After leaving the dock, the new vessel may undergo a series of tests to ensure that its performance and safety meet standards, according to a Guangzhou Shipyard announcement at the time.
The BYD Hefei is the first car carrier for which BYD is the owner, and the first to be named after the city where one of its vehicle production sites is located.
The vessel is 199.9 meters long, with a beam of 38 meters, a design draft of 9 meters and a design speed of 18.5 knots (34 kilometers per hour).
On December 2, Wang Junbao, general manager of BYD Corporate Division, said on Weibo that the company's new car carrier BYD Changzhou was put into operation.
BYD Changzhou is BYD's second vessel as shipowner after BYD Hefei and the third in its fleet of car carriers.
Built by CIMC Raffles, BYD Changzhou has a length of 199.9 meters and a loading capacity of 7,000 cars.
The larger fleet is expected to provide capacity support for BYD's expansion in overseas markets.
The company sold 4,272,145 NEVs in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 41.26 percent, according to figures it announced earlier this month.
In overseas markets, BYD sold 417,204 vehicles in 2024, up 71.86 percent year-on-year, contributing 9.77 percent of annual sales.
BYD sells record 514,809 NEVs in Dec, full year 2024 sales reach 4.27 million
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