An electronic vehicle (EV) by BYD Co. charged at an EV charging station on the corporate campus in Pingshan District, Shenzhen, China.
Brent Lewin | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD said last month it had stopped making internal combustion engine vehicles and now only produces fully electric and electrified plug-in hybrids.
“In the future, BYD will focus on pure electric hybrid and plug-in vehicles in the automotive sector,” the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday.
BYD will not completely stop producing gasoline engines as the smaller, more efficient engines will continue to be used in plug-in hybrids.
The move comes in response to Beijing’s pledge to boost green energy consumption to peak carbon emissions by 2030.
BYD is among six automakers – the others being Volvo, Ford, Synthetic engineMercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover – have signed up for a global campaign to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040.
BYD sold 104,878 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in March, up from just 24,218 units in the same month a year earlier and marking its highest monthly sales ever. Last month’s sales included 53,664 pure EVs and 50,674 plug-in hybrids and 540 commercial NEVs.
The company also said in the statement that it will continue to provide comprehensive services and spare parts throughout the lifecycle to existing customers with fuel-powered vehicles.
