BYD Delivers Its 14 Millionth NEV to Brazilian President Lula da Silva – CleanTechnica

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At an event at the company’s new factory in Bahia, Brazil, BYD Chairman Wang Chaunfu personally delivered its 14 millionth NEV (BEV and PHEV) to Brazilian President Lula da Silva. The new BYD factory replaces a former Ford plant on the same site that closed several years ago. Local politicians praised the plant for rejuvenating the economy, providing both direct jobs and indirect benefits to local businesses.

The vehicle delivered to Lula was a special edition Song Pro DM-I, manufactured at the plant. The vehicle is currently produced alongside the Seagull and King (aka Chaser 05, Seal 5). Thirty of these vehicles will be provided for the November COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in the Amazonian city of Belém. After the event, the vehicles will be donated.

While the PHEV drivetrain of this model may be controversial to some here, the flex fuel adaptation to be able to run on up to 100% ethanol might also spark some debate. However, inexpensive ethanol is a market reality in Brazil, and the sugar-cane-based fuel has roughly ⅓ of the LCA emissions of corn-based ethanol.

Beyond the fuel, BYD, importantly, worked with Brazilian engineers to adapt the powertrain. In addition, they announced that they will be working with the Brazilian government to develop educational and research institutions, further developing the talent and technological capabilities in the region.

Beyond developing talent, the Chinese ambassador to Brazil also highlighted the active development of renewable energy generation and infrastructure projects. Wang Chaunfu also emphasized the growth of energy storage and the solar panels BYD manufactures in Brazil. This clean energy and increasing electrification will not only reduce the environmental impact of the factory, but also of the vehicles charging and the nation as a whole.

In addition to electric cars, BYD started producing electric busses in Brazil in 2015. On Wednesday, BYD also completed the testing phase of the SkyRail Monorail in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and delivered the city’s first 22-meter articulated electric buses.

BYD is still ramping up to the initial phase of 150,000 vehicles, to be increased to 300,000 vehicles. However, it was announced that the planned production at the plant would double again to 600,000 vehicles, making it by far the largest manufacturing plant in Latin America. According to President Lula, increased production will make EVs more available and reduce prices, in addition to making Brazil a manufacturing hub for LATAM and exporter to Africa. For comparison, there were only 444,071 electric vehicles total (PHEV and EV) on the road in Latin America as of the end of 2024. How do you say “leapfrog” in Portuguese?

Watching through the launch video (with subtitles), you could see the cultural differences. BYD launch conferences in China tend not to have the same level of cheering, hugging, and passion. It was also interesting to see populist messages combined with a globalist, multilateral perspective. Populism has often been linked to nationalism lately. And Lula definitely knows how to get a Brazilian crowd excited.

Seeing cultures come together is a positive sign after so much divisiveness. Lula also seems to be embracing his role in climate leadership as COP30 host. Beyond BYD and Brazil, this could serve as a future example for positive global collaboration in promoting sustainable development while addressing climate change.