China's BYD to Supply 100,000 Electric Vehicles to US Uber... "Largest Scale in Industry"

China's BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, has agreed to supply 100,000 electric vehicles to the U.S. ride-sharing company Uber. Both parties also plan to collaborate on autonomous vehicle development.

According to China's Pengpai News on the 31st, BYD announced that it had signed a strategic partnership with Uber on the same day. Accordingly, BYD will supply 100,000 electric vehicles to Uber, which will be deployed in Latin America, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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The two companies will cooperate on BYD's autonomous vehicle development and deploy these vehicles on the Uber platform. Pengpai News reported that other areas of cooperation may include charging, vehicle repair, insurance, finance, and leasing.

Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD, said regarding the partnership, "Both BYD and Uber are dedicated to innovation and are working together to create a cleaner and more environmentally friendly world," adding, "We are pleased to move forward together toward this future."

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, stated, "(The supply of 100,000 vehicles) is the largest contract in the industry," and expressed anticipation for "the many benefits this partnership will bring to drivers, passengers, and cities." He further explained, "Uber drivers could save up to four times the costs by switching to electric vehicles."

Although it has not been specified which BYD models will be provided to Uber through this partnership, promotional images from both companies feature BYD's Seal, the Seal U sport utility vehicle (SUV), and the Atto3.

Meanwhile, BYD's electric vehicle sales last year increased by 61.9% to 3,024,400 units, and overseas exports surged by 337% to 243,000 units. This is the first time BYD's annual electric vehicle sales have exceeded 3 million units. The total sales for the first half of this year are estimated at 1.6 million units, a 28.8% increase compared to the previous year.

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