BYD Executive: Fuel Vehicles Have No Future in China After Flash Charging Goes Mainstream
nashnova research
BYD EVP Stella Li declared fuel cars have no future in China; August data backs her up — ICE sales plunged 45.7% year-on-year while NEVs crossed 60% of new-car sales, marking an irreversible energy shift.
What exactly did the BYD executive say?
EVP Stella Li stated in an interview: "With BYD's flash-charging technology going mainstream, fuel cars have no future in China — that is very clear."
She added that electrification in other regions may take years longer, but the end result will be the same.
This means → BYD's leadership is planning around a "zero-ICE" endgame — not as a forecast, but as an operating premise.
How stark are the numbers?
August ICE vehicle sales in China: 584,000 units, down 45.7% year-on-year — nearly halved.
NEV sales in the same month: roughly 1.643 million units, up 17.8%, accounting for 60.6% of all new-car sales.
In plain terms = for every 10 new cars sold in China, 6 are now electric; fuel cars have gone from the mainstream to the minority.
Is this sudden, or has the trend been building?
Monthly year-on-year ICE sales declines from April to August: 32.2%, 37.5%, 45%, 45.7%, 45.7% — deepening every month.
January–August cumulative ICE sales: roughly 5.948 million units, down 32% year-on-year.
This reflects an accelerating collapse, not a slow fade — declines have hugged the 50% line for months with no sign of reversal.
CAAM deputy secretary-general Chen Shihua attributed the ICE plunge mainly to persistently high fuel prices.
Have fuel cars lost on every front?
Not quite — exports tell the opposite story. January–August ICE exports hit 3.718 million units, up 34.7% year-on-year.
This means → China's domestic "oil-out, electric-in" shift has not blocked ICE expansion overseas; retired domestic capacity is being redirected abroad.
In plain terms = fuel cars can't sell in China anymore, but they sell just fine elsewhere — global electrification is nowhere near China's pace.
What is the next milestone to watch?
BYD disclosed plans to launch a solid-state-battery vehicle by 2027 — its most recent public statement on a solid-state battery (a next-generation battery using solid electrolytes instead of liquid) mass-production timeline.
NEV cumulative sales January–August: roughly 10.65 million units, up 10.7% year-on-year, with a 52.4% share of total new-car sales.
Chen Shihua argued that once NEV monthly share crosses the 50% threshold, NEVs' dominance over the broader market will only strengthen.
This means → whether BYD can deliver solid-state-battery mass production on schedule in 2027 is the next critical test of its technology roadmap.
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