In The Past, ByD Is Now Praised By Elon Musk And Jim Farley

Byd Dolphin and BYD Seal debuted at the 2023 Automobile Barcelona exhibition. (Doc. BYD)

JAKARTA - It's no secret that Tesla is said to be the pioneer of mass electric vehicles today. For its presence, it has also motivated various large manufacturers and other startups to create innovations in building EVs.

One of the countries that is rapid in the development of electric vehicles is China through companies such as BYD, Nio, Xpeng and others. In fact, some of these brands received praise from Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk.

"They work hard and work smart. So if I guess, maybe some companies from China will most likely be the second after Tesla," Musk said as quoted by Electrek, Sunday, May 28.

It looks like what Musk said will happen. The reason is, companies like BYD managed to sell 1.8 million units of plug-in hybrid cars with 946,238 units including Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) cars in 2022.

This number is certainly close to Tesla, which sold 1.3 million BEV units last year for the global market.

A decade ago, Elon Musk himself once underestimated Chinese electric vehicle car manufacturers, especially BYD, because their car existence at that time was not as massive as it is today.

However, Elon Musk responded to his interview through his official Twitter account. He said that this had happened several years ago. In today's time, BYD is quite competitive in producing cars.

"It (interview) happened a few years ago. Their car has been very competitive in recent times," Elon Musk wrote in his post.

On the other hand, responding to current electric car manufacturer competition, Ford CEO Jim Farley, reported by CNBC International, Thursday, May 24, even said that the biggest competition in electric vehicles was not with Tesla, General Motors, or Toyota.

"The biggest rival is the Chinese automaker, not Tesla, GM or Toyota," Farley said.

Farley said Chinese companies like BYD backed by Warren Buffett are in front of major US manufacturers and all electric vehicle startups. According to him, Chinese manufacturers are easier to get electric car makers as well as battery chemicals and new technologies that can make their car prices more affordable.

He used BYD as the main example of Chinese automakers who have successfully developed and sold EVs, first in China, and now in Europe.

I love BYD. Completely vertically, aggressively integrated. Very, very impressive companies. And they are always committed to electricity, Farley said when asked which company did the EV properly.