BYD, world's top EV maker, unveils mammoth cargo carrier to beat shipping blues

With the increasing level of uncertainties in international waters stemming from geo-political tensions and pirate attacks in and around the Red Sea, China's BYD has now inducted and flagged off its own car cargo carrier - BYD Explorer No. 1 - with the promise of safer, timely as well as cleaner transportation.

At 199.9 meters in length, the BYD Explorer No. 1 is capable of transporting 7,000 vehicles in one go and is equipped with an innovative dual-fuel LNG (liquefied natural gas) and conventional fuel propulsion system. Built by Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard, the BYD Explorer No. 1 departed from the Chinese city of Shenzhen with around 5,000 EVs from the brand and will make way towards Flushing Port in the Netherlands and the German port of Bremerhaven.

The inclusion of BYD Explorer in the chartered shipping fleet of the EV maker is just the first of seven such vessels that would eventually be inducted. This comes almost at the same time as BYD's global expansion plans with its lineup of electric cars for markets outside of China.

BYD recently overtook Tesla in terms of EV production in the fourth quarter of 2023 and is now poised to lead the way through the course of 2024. The company has thus far been primarily propeled by solid performance in its home market which also happens to be the world's largest EV market. But playing big in China alone won't help BYD keep the crown on its head and as such, it has already begun looking at the US, select European markets, India and even Indonesia with a keener interest for expansion.

BYD shipped out 243,000 cars in 2023 while producing an overall three million units in the calendar year. Australia, Brazil and Israel are among some of its most crucial global markets at present.