Three people died in a construction accident at BYD‘s massive Zhengzhou industrial complex, local government authorities said on Monday.
The Zhengzhou government confirmed the fatalities but did not specify whether the incident occurred in existing production facilities or in sections of the complex currently being expanded by the Chinese EV giant.
The cause of the accident was not immediately available.
Contacted by EV, BYD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The new industrial park is set to span more than 50 square miles when fully developed, surpassing the area of San Francisco (46.9 square miles.)
BYD plans to expand the Zhengzhou site’s annual production capacity to 1.8 million vehicles, according to recent local media reports.
The facility has been undergoing rapid expansion since BYD established its presence in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone in September 2021.
The first new energy vehicle (NEV) plant reached completion and commenced operations in April 2023.
Recent expansion projects at the site included a battery production line built by BYD’s subsidiary Zhengzhou Fudi Battery Co., a mold production line, and a new battery protection plate production line.
Production Scale and Output
The first Zhengzhou plant produced approximately 550,000 passenger vehicles in 2024 with an output value exceeding 86 billion yuan ($11.9 billion), according to company figures.
That represents substantial growth from 2023, when the facility produced more than 200,000 vehicles with power battery output reaching 7 gigawatt-hours and total output value of 33.5 billion yuan.
The first facility in Zhengzhou currently operates at remarkable speed, rolling out one new energy passenger vehicle approximately every minute and completing one power battery cell every three seconds, according to BYD.
Current production at Zhengzhou includes the Fangchengbao Bao 5 and Bao 8 models (also known as DENZA B5 and B8), BYD Seal 07 DM-i, BYD Song Pro DM-i, BYD Song L DM-i, BYD Shark pickup truck for overseas markets, and BYD Seagull (also marketed as Dolphin Surf in some markets).
BYD is targeting 1.6 million vehicle sales overseas in 2026, as it expands both sales and production around the globe — Citi analysts said last week citing the company’s management.
The Shenzhen-based company’s growth has required massive investments in manufacturing infrastructure across China and increasingly in overseas markets including Thailand, Brazil and Hungary.
The plant in Brazil opened last June, with the Hungary factory scheduled to start production before the year end.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
