BYD Is In Europe Because Of Its Buses & Trucks

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The US doesn’t know what it is missing…or just doesn’t realize it.

Chinese automotive giant BYD has established a significant foothold in Europe’s commercial vehicle market, leveraging its electric bus expertise while expanding into freight transport as the continent accelerates its transition to zero-emission transportation.

BYD is in America through purpose-built vehicles, mostly school buses and special application vehicles which are built by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers Union, Local 105. The number of BYD-platform vehicles produced in the US is relevant to targets under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which created the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus (CSB) Program to fund electric school buses.

Compare the numbers to what is going in Europe, and there is so much room to grow.

Operating In Most Of Europe

The company’s most visible success has been in electric buses, with BYD vehicles now operating in major European cities, including Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Budapest, and Milan. This urban presence represents part of BYD’s global deployment of 70,000 electric buses worldwide, though Europe accounts for just 2.5% of that total volume as of early 2022.

BYD faces substantial competition in the European electric bus market, where domestic manufacturers maintain strong positions. In the first half of 2023, Poland’s Solaris, Germany’s MAN, and the BYD-ADL partnership held the top three market positions. However, the overall market is expanding rapidly, with battery-electric bus registrations reaching 5,315 units in the first half of 2025 alone.

The growth trajectory appears sustainable, with Europe’s electric bus market projected to reach $9.44 billion by 2034, driven by environmental regulations and the transition to sustainable public transport. France, the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany collectively account for more than half of Europe’s current electric bus fleet.

In The Logistics Space

Beyond buses, BYD has developed a comprehensive electric truck lineup for European logistics. The ETM6, a 7.5-ton truck with 200-kilometer range, targets urban delivery operations with payload options of 3,810kg or 3,740kg. Its 255 kWh battery charges from 20% to 100% in two hours, being designed for frequent urban cycles.

The company also offers the ETP3 compact panel van for tight urban spaces, and the EYT 2.0, a heavy-duty port and airport cargo truck capable of handling combined gross weights up to 75 tons for large containers and trailers.

All BYD commercial vehicles use the company’s iron-phosphate Blade Battery technology, which BYD positions as offering superior safety and reliability compared to other lithium-ion chemistries. The vehicles include advanced driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning, forward collision warning, 360-degree vision, and adaptive cruise control.

BYD’s European expansion strategy focuses on establishing local partnerships and adapting to regional logistics needs. The company has recently entered markets like Hungary and maintains an active presence at major industry events such as Germany’s IAA Transportation trade show.

This targeted approach reflects the fragmented nature of global commercial vehicle markets, where regulatory frameworks, infrastructure capabilities, and operational patterns vary significantly between regions. BYD’s European success stems from adapting its electric vehicle expertise to local requirements rather than applying a universal product strategy.

What BYD is doing in Europe contrasts with its strategy in other markets. While the company produces pickup trucks like the Shark for markets in Asia and Latin America, it has not introduced such vehicles in Europe, focusing instead on urban logistics solutions that align with European cities’ emphasis on dense, efficient freight movement.