BYD In Canada

BYD In Canada

If you’ve been reading my newsletter, you already know who BYD is.

China’s BYD was the #1 seller of plug-in electric vehicles worldwide in 2023. cnbc.com

They are clear about their intention to end internal combustion-only vehicle production and go to war over price with the rest of the world’s automakers. insideevs.com, cnevpost.com

In what can only be called a “we give no fucks about your tariffs” move, BYD made their intention to sell vehicles in the Great White North clear to the Canadian government this week prior to the feds deciding what tariffs to implement. theglobeandmail.com, financialpost.com, driving.ca, cleantechnica.com

The news made UNIFOR nervous. unifor.org

Canada isn’t BYD’s originating beachhead in North America. They already plan to manufacture and sell vehicles in Mexico, within the borders of the USMCA trade agreement. bloomberg.com

They also began opening dealerships in the Caribbean (that’s part of North America, right?!). electrek.co, wikipedia.org

They teased Americans with their hybrid electric pick-up, the BYD Shark, from Mexico earlier this year. fortune.com

Because the rules differ for buses, BYD’s larger vehicles are already on Canadian roads. financialpost.com, byd.com

Subversively, they announced a partnership with Uber this week and name-dropped Canada as a potential market for their collaboration. theglobeandmail.com, cnbc.com

So we shouldn’t be surprised that Canada was next on their target expansion countries lists while they wait for the USA to figure some shit out. electrek.co, fortune.com

We could use BYD’s 2,100 km combined hybrid engines and $11,000 electric vehicles to give consumers choice and existing manufacturers who make PHEVs with sub-par driving ranges and EVs at higher price points a swift kick in the nuts. reuters.com

China’s Automotive Expansion

The updated BYD Seal will include LIDAR. carnewschina.com

Mercedes will begin testing L4 autonomous vehicles in China. cnevpost.com

NIO’s battery swap service is on track to reach its 50 millionth swap. cnevpost.com

CATL plans to invest in Autoflight, an electric aircraft company. msn.com

Chinese Audi EVs won't have their signature four-ring logo. reuters.com

Li Auto hit a sales record. cnbc.com

China’s EV companies are making inroads in Thailand and Southeast Asia, while Europe and the United States attempt to use tariffs to keep them out (which might not help much). nytimes.com

Must Know Musk News

Elon’s multi-billion dollar pay package is in question again. nytimes.com, ft.com

Elon says he’ll accept and recognize a Harris election victory. Then he got weird. theatlantic.com

Elon’s America PAC uses data and digital marketing tactics to promote Trump and dissuade potential Harris voters from registering to vote. cnbc.com

Elon wants you to have a lot of children, just like him. wsj.com

Boeing’s Starliner cost twice as much as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. arstechnica.com

Tesla is in another “Full Self Driving” lawsuit. theverge.com

Tesla sees a 15.3% sales increase in China. reuters.com

Your Tesla’s hood might accidentally open. arstechnica.com

Rise Of The Machines

PillBot takes a look at you from the inside. therobotreport.com

Neura Robotics released a video of their humanoid robot performing various activities, like ironing and moving boxes. techcrunch.com

How about a robot that will clean your solar panels? therobotreport.com

Energy

China plans to accelerate the development of a carbon emissions capture and control system to meet its 2030 carbon emissions targets. reuters.com

Britain found a billion dollars in their settee cushions earmarked for social and environmental projects. reuters.com

Canada’s government dropped $75M to build roads to dig for critical minerals. canada.autonews.com

Samsung built a 600-mile (965-kilometer) solid-state battery with double the energy density of the batteries found in most of today’s EVs. And it charges in about 9 minutes. rideapart.com, interestingengineering.com

Alberta’s seven-month moratorium on renewable power has left the province with 53 abandoned wind and solar projects. calgaryherald.com

Shell plans to invest billions and build a massive hydrogen-producing electrolyzer. interestingengineering.com

But Wait, There’s More

Ford wolfs out on the new Maverick. canada.autonews.com, theverge.com, caranddriver.com, cnbc.com, arstechnica.com

Ford expands Blue Cruise in Europe. insideevs.com

The new Ford Explorer goes all in on Android (just like the Lincoln Nautilus). theverge.com

Ford and Honda both saw a surge in July's US EV sales. insideevs.com, insideevs.com

Honda and Nissan ask Mitsubishi for consent in potentially expanded EV threeway. theverge.com

Canadian Honda and JLR dealers continue legal battles with respective OEMs. canada.autonews.com, canada.autonews.com

NHTSA expands their Dodge SUV faulty door locks and windows investigation. reuters.com

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares calls out his Michigan Sterling Heights Assembly Plant for quality control and cost issues. driving.ca

Stellantis is offering a voluntary buyout package to its salaried US-based employees. motor1.com, cnbc.com

VW is also looking to cut costs. wsj.com

Self-driving truck startup Aurora raised another $483 Million to support commercialization of their driver-as-a-service transport model. techcrunch.com

UAW President Shawn Fain endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. cnbc.com

ICYMI

Google Maps gets more like WAZE. theverge.com

Meta wants to pay celebrities millions of dollars for the right to use their voices in AI. bloomberg.com

Kick Out The Jams

Kesha did a TED Talk on the alchemy of pop. youtube.com, ted.com

Norah Jones recorded a short but wonderful Tiny Desk Concert for NPR. youtube.com

Charli xcx and Billie Eilish want you to guess their Google Drive password (and some other things that are surprisingly NSFW). youtube.com

Billie also knows that things fall apart. youtube.com

Sia, Chaka Khan, and Eve are immortal queens. youtube.com

KATSEYE thought about you way too much. youtube.com

Jack White will trade a nickel for a dime anytime. youtube.com

Finger Eleven wants you to climb on board. youtube.com

Marilyn Manson is not so evil as much as he's hungry. youtube.com

Matt Nathanson overdosed on magic thinking. youtube.com

Mothica wants to know what it's like to feel your heart beating from the inside (just like the PillBot!!). youtube.com

Kordhell really don’t give a fuck. youtube.com

Monochromatic Black is turning the tide in this heavy track that will probably make your mom angry if she hears you listening to it. youtube.com