BYD Company

BYD Company Limited, or BYD, is a big Chinese manufacturing company based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It started in February 1995 when Wang Chuanfu created it to make batteries. Today, BYD is much more than just a battery maker. It has several important parts, including BYD Auto, which builds automobiles, and FinDreams, which makes parts for cars and electric vehicle batteries.

BYD Auto began in 2003 and has grown to become the world's biggest maker of plug-in electric vehicles. The company also makes many other things, like solar panels, semiconductors, and systems for trains. BYD is very good at creating new ideas and has filed over 13,000 patents since 2003.

Since 2022, BYD has been the largest private-sector employer in China, with almost 900,000 workers. Many of these people help with research and development. BYD’s stocks are sold on big stock markets in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In 2024, BYD was ranked 143rd on the Fortune Global 500 list, showing it is one of the world's biggest companies.

Name

"BYD" is the pinyin initials of the company's Chinese name Biyadi. The company was originally named Yadi Electronics, after Yadi Road in Dapeng New District, where it was first based. The character "Bi" (比) was added to avoid duplication and to give the company an alphabetical advantage at trade shows. When BYD joined the 2008 North American International Auto Show in the US, it began using the slogan "Build Your Dreams" as a playful meaning for its name.

History

BYD was started by Wang Chuanfu in November 1994 with just 20 people in Shenzhen. The company officially began on February 10, 1995, focusing on making batteries. Wang noticed a big change in the battery world when Japanese companies started using new types of batteries, so he moved to Shenzhen to start BYD.

BYD grew quickly by making batteries in a more affordable way. They made their first big sale in 1996 to Sanyo and soon had many big customers like Philips, Panasonic, and Motorola. BYD also started making parts for mobile phones and became a world leader in some battery types. In 2002, BYD bought a small car company to begin making vehicles, starting with regular petrol cars. Later, they made hybrid and electric cars, which helped them grow even more.

Subsidiaries and businesses

BYD Auto

Main article: BYD Auto

BYD Auto was founded in January 2003 by BYD owner Wang Chuanfu. It makes passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), called new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China. It also makes electric buses and trucks. BYD Auto has brands like Denza, Fangchengbao, and Yangwang for high-end cars.

The first BYD Auto car, the BYD F3, started in 2005. The first plug-in hybrid, the BYD F3DM, came in 2008, and the first battery electric vehicle, the BYD e6, was made in 2009. BYD Auto stopped making cars with regular engines in March 2022. Since 2023, it has been the biggest car seller in China. BYD Auto has nine big car factories in China and also has factories in Uzbekistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Hungary, and Turkey.

BYD Electronics

BYD Electronic (International) Company Limited or simply BYD Electronics makes parts for mobile phones and builds phones for customers. It started in 2002 and had its first stock sale in 2007. BYD Electronics has factories in places like Cluj, Romania; Komárom, Hungary; and Chennai, India. It also has bases in Huizhou, Tianjin, and Shenzhen.

BYD Electronics makes parts and full phones for companies like Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung. Since 2020, it has helped make Apple’s iPad. In 2022, it started making iPads in Vietnam. BYD Electronics also makes things like MacBook trackpads, cases for phones and tablets, Apple Magic Keyboard, and even single-use medical masks in 2020.

BYD Semiconductor

BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd. started in 2020. It makes semiconductor products like integrated circuits, light emitting diodes, and single chips. It planned to sell shares to the public but decided to put more money into making wafer products instead.

BYD Forklift

BYD Forklift began in 2009 and is based in Zhenjiang, Shaoguan. It makes electric forklifts, towing vehicles, and robots. It can make 30,000 units each year and has sold its forklifts since 2014.

FinDreams

FinDreams is the name for four companies that supply parts to other car makers. These companies started in March 2020 from BYD. They are FinDreams Battery, FinDreams Powertrain, FinDreams Technology, and FinDreams Precision.

FinDreams Battery makes batteries for cars and energy storage. It is the world’s second-largest maker of electric vehicle batteries. It works with companies like Tesla, Toyota, and Kia. In 2022, it began building a plant with FAW Group in Changchun, Jilin. In 2023, it started making sodium-ion batteries and, in 2024, signed a deal to supply blades cells to BorgWarner for use in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia.

FinDreams Powertrain makes engines and parts for car movements.

FinDreams Technology makes electronic parts and systems for cars, trucks, and trains.

FinDreams Precision makes and studies moulding for car parts.

RIDE Mobility

RIDE is a U.S. company from BYD, focusing on transit solutions in the U.S. and Canada. Based in Pasadena, California, it was announced in 2023. RIDE makes electric school buses and transit buses at its factory in Lancaster, California, employing about 500 workers. These buses have been used in Oakland, California with Zum.

Guided transit

SkyRail monorail

BYD constructed monorail systems around the world, including the Guang'an Metro and the Guilin Metro in China, Line 17 in São Paulo and the SkyRail Bahia in Brazil. BYD is also part of a group working to build a monorail from the San Fernando Valley to LAX in Los Angeles.

SkyShuttle

BYD also offers an Automated guideway transit (AGT) system called "SkyShuttle". SkyShuttle trains move on their own and run on batteries. They are like monorails but have guiding wheels between two beams instead of one. SkyShuttle systems are operating in Pingshan SkyShuttle, Shenzhen; Bishan SkyShuttle, Chongqing; and Jinan SkyShuttle, Jinan.

Operations

BYD is a large company with many workers and factories around the world. In 2024, it had almost 969,000 employees, making it one of the biggest private companies in China. BYD makes cars, batteries, and electronic parts. It spends a lot of money on research and development to create new technologies and improve its products.

BYD owns many factories in China, such as in Shenzhen, Xi'an, and Hefei. It also has factories in other countries, including Brazil, Hungary, and the United States. These factories produce cars, buses, and battery parts. BYD focuses on making electric vehicles and works to control its supply chain to make sure it has the materials it needs, like lithium.

Corporate affairs

BYD is a big company in China that makes many things, including cars and batteries. It was started by a man named Wang Chuanfu in 1995. Today, it has many important leaders and managers who help run different parts of the business.

Some of the top leaders include Wang Chuanfu, who is the chairman and president, and Lu Xiangyang, who is a co-founder and vice chairman. There are also several other directors and managers who help lead different areas of the company, like making cars, selling them in America, and handling money matters.

Recognition

In 2010, BYD was recognized as one of the fastest-growing tech companies and was ranked the eighth most innovative company in the world. In 2016, BYD received the Zayed Future Energy Prize for Large Corporations for its work on rechargeable batteries. In 2017, BYD was awarded for innovation in battery storage systems.

Lawsuits and disputes

See also: BYD Auto § Lawsuits and controversies

BYD faced several legal challenges over the years. In 2006, Foxconn Technology Group accused BYD of stealing trade secrets after some employees moved from Foxconn to BYD. Courts in China and the United States examined these claims, leading to various rulings and counterclaims over several years.

More recently, in 2020, BYD sued Vice Media in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York over a story linking the company to forced labor. The case was dismissed. BYD also faced tariffs and security concerns in the United States, leading to restrictions on its products by the United States Department of Defense in 2024 and 2025.