BYD to build first India EV plant near Hyderabad, aiming 600K cars yearly

On Thursday a report from ETV Bharat stated that BYD, the Chinese EV maker, is looking to set up a plant on the outskirts of Hyderabad, which will be the first manufacturing site in an Indian context. The announcement has reportedly come after extensive discussions with the government, which provided assurances of full cooperation, including land acquisition. The government of Telangana allegedly did identify 3 sites near to Hyderabad that could host the plant, and BYD is now reviewing the list before making a choice.

Once a site is confirmed, it is anticipated the parties will sign the agreement with officials of the Government. A plant built out by BYD in Telangana would be one of the largest private sector investments in the EV sector in India. The project may also support the establishment of the supply industry in the manufacture parts and components that would create a cluster similar to the greater Hyderabad automotive ecosystem.

In addition to assembling vehicles, BYD is also planning to establish a 20-gigawatt battery manufacturing facility in India. In the next five to seven years, BYD aims to ramp up to a production capacity of 600,000 EVs per year. This expansion will involve a substantial investment by BYD, who recently surpassed Tesla to earn $107bn (Rs 9.20trn) in revenue compared to Tesla’s $97.7bn (Rs 8.40trn). 

While Tesla's sales are declining in China and Europe, BYD is continuing to innovate and expand. The company has introduced leading-edge technology such as the 1MW flash charger, able to charger a vehicle in fully, in 5-8 minutes!  A breakthrough allows an EV to travel up to 400km in single charge and possibly shape the future of electric mobility now.