A decade ago, Tesla was synonymous with electric vehicle innovation, seemingly leading the charge. Today, however, the landscape has shifted. While Tesla has only introduced two mass-market models, the Model 3 and Model Y, Chinese automaker BYD has emerged as a dominant force, with a far more diverse range of electric vehicles.
BYD’s portfolio includes passenger cars, some priced under $10,000 in China, as well as electric buses and a comprehensive lineup of commercial vehicles. These encompass everything from tractor trailers and ambulances to street sweepers and trash trucks. They also produce electric delivery vans tailored for tradespeople, grocery stores, and any business requiring efficient “last-mile” delivery solutions.
At the IAA Transportation 2024 show in Hanover, Germany, BYD unveiled the E-Vali, its latest battery-powered electric delivery van designed specifically for European customers.
The design of a delivery van may seem straightforward – a box on wheels – but efficiency is key. This includes aspects like loading and unloading speed, maneuverability on narrow city streets, and the total cost of operation. This last point includes fuel, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and depreciation, impacting a business’s bottom line.
The E-Vali comes in two sizes. The smaller version features a 3.9-meter (12.8 ft) wheelbase and offers 13.9 cubic meters (500 cu. ft) of cargo space, with a gross weight of 3.5 metric tons (7700 lb). The larger model has a 4.55-meter (15 ft) wheelbase, 17.9 cubic meters (632 cubic feet) of cargo space, and a 4.25 metric ton (9,400 lb) gross weight. Cargo capacity for the smaller van is 700 kg (1550 lb), and the larger van offers 1450 kg (3200 lb) capacity.
To optimize the E-Vali for last-mile and parcel delivery, BYD has equipped it with wide-opening rear doors and a taller roof, allowing drivers to stand upright while loading and unloading.
Under the hood, the BYD E-Vali offers either a single motor driving the rear wheels, with a maximum output of 150 kW (200 hp), or an all-wheel-drive version with an additional 100 kW (135 hp) motor for the front wheels. Both versions are equipped with BYD’s LFP (lithium iron phosphate) blade battery, boasting a nominal capacity of 80.6 kWh. The expected range is between 220 and 250 kilometers (140 to 155 miles) based on the WLTP cycle used in Europe.
The E-Vali comes standard with an 11 kW AC charger. A 22 kW AC charger is available as an optional upgrade. Rapid charging is supported up to 188 kW, allowing a charge from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 30 minutes.
Additionally, a 3 kW vehicle-to-load system allows the van to power external devices and tools.
According to Car News China, the BYD E-Vali will also include a suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, and hill start assist. The van will also support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and includes features like inductive charging for mobile phones and voice control in the cockpit.
BYD’s expansion also includes additional commercial vehicle offerings.
Aside from the E-Vali reveal, BYD announced the EYT 2.0 electric yard tractor for the European market. Designed for logistics and transportation applications, the EYT 2.0 has an offset cab and a total weight capacity up to 75 tons, capable of handling large containers and trailers. It uses BYD’s Blade Battery, providing a maximum working time of 16 hours. The ETM6 and ETH8 truck models were also showcased at the event; the ETM6 is a 7.5-ton medium truck for urban logistics and the ETH8, a 19-ton heavy truck for urban cleaning and logistics. Both models use BYD’s specialized electric truck platform, with a range up to 250 km with a full load.
BYD saw its commercial vehicle division sell over 110,000 units globally by the end of June 2024, including 30,000 new energy trucks and specialty vehicles.
While BYD aggressively pursues global expansion in the commercial vehicle market, Tesla has largely ignored this segment. This strategic decision is somewhat perplexing, considering Tesla’s initial mission to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Although there are fewer commercial vehicles than passenger vehicles, they often operate for extended periods, between 6 and 8 hours a day. This extended use means that reducing emissions from commercial vehicles can have a greater impact than reducing emissions from individual passenger cars. And yet, Tesla has shown little interest in this space.
While the Tesla Semi is coming, production is still pending, while BYD, Mercedes, Volvo, and others have electric tractors being used by actual customers. There are no corresponding announcements from Tesla about other electric commercial vehicles. Tesla’s focus on robotaxis, whose viability remains uncertain, contrasts dramatically with BYD’s concrete actions in the electric commercial vehicle market.
The fact that Tesla seemingly is not paying attention to the commercial vehicle segment, and the reasons for this are unclear. This contrasts with the reality of a growing electric delivery vehicle market and other companies capitalizing on the opportunity. For example, Morgan Olson, a leading manufacturer of truck bodies for delivery vehicles in the U.S., has partnered with Rivian to provide the battery electric skateboard for its electric delivery vehicles. Tesla’s lack of interest here seems to be a business decision.
Whether this approach is sustainable remains to be seen, but for now, BYD’s strategy contrasts significantly with Tesla’s. If the goal is to reduce emissions, ignoring the segment that can make the most impact with a fleet of electric vehicles could prove to be a missed business opportunity.
