Tesla's software is light years ahead of any other car manufacturer.
Tesla's safety rating is better than BYD.
Just to name three.
Tesla's charging network being closed is detrimental to EVs.
Closed, incompatible infrastructure is dumb infrastructure. Closed, incompatible infrastructure is backward and primitive.
As a self respecting car buyer you should actively select against brands that try to lock you in and brands that try to shut you out.
What you want is smart infrastructure. You want to demand that all brands of EV can charge on all brands of charger with no dumb charging accounts.
The good news is Tesla chargers work with non-Tesla EVs. They've been open to all EVs in Europe for years. They're open to all EVs in Australia. Tesla has even started to open them to all EVs in North America.
It works because Tesla has adopted the CCS charging standard in North America (just like Tesla was already using in Europe and Australia). NACS is CCS charging with the J3400 plug. J3400 is the third plug type CCS supports.
Here's a Chevy Bolt charging on a Tesla charger in California. It works because it's CCS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu0HDdB9b2k&t=340s
Here's an MG charging on a Tesla charger in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkOdoNO7fSQ
Here's a BMW charging on a Tesla charger in England: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y33AArvMUQ
Here's a Kia charging on a Tesla charger in England. No dumb Tesla account, no idiot Tesla app. Contactless payment just as Nature intended: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yflZN0dLT8s
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42228138
General Motors helped design the Vert-A-Pac. https://chevyvega.fandom.com/wiki/Vert-A-Pac
These are also not owned by VW Logistics, but on long-term lease to them.
Note this is the similar for several BYD RoRo carriers, e.g. the BYD Explorer No.1 and BYD Changzhou are owned by Zodiac Maritime and chartered by/leased to BYD.
As to why a UK-based shipping company owned by a Israeli billionaire based in Monaco buys RoRo carriers from a Chinese shipyard, and then leases them back to a Chinese car maker, I don't know. But I'm also quite curious about the regulatory and financing-related incentives and money flows involved. I'm aware this kind of setup is called a "Non-operating owner" and is fairly common.
And BYD have been at it for a while, so time for a wholly owned one I guess.
> As to why a UK-based shipping company owned by a Israeli billionaire based in Monaco buys RoRo carriers from a Chinese shipyard, and then leases them back to a Chinese car maker, I don't know.
That's good. No idea if that's the reason, but that would be an easy way to invest in BYD while mostly not being subject to Chinese direct investing legal requirements and problems.
Shenzhen, Changsha, Huizhou, Shanxi, Shanghai (in China), the one in Thailand, in Hungary or Uzbekistan? (etc.)
I ask as Reuters reported the Shenzhen and other plants as having standard eight hour shifts less than two years past: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/byd-re...
Do you have a source for claim?
[0] https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3293923/...
[1] https://carnewschina.com/2024/05/20/strike-at-byd-factory-in...
[2] https://clb.org.hk/en/content/auto-workers-bear-brunt-compet...
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
[1] is extremely vague wrt hard details, in summary it's a dispute between Brazilian standard conditions and Chinese standard with hints of "slave like conditions" but nothing concrete.
[2] is about Chinese workers striking to demand longer hours:
According to reports, the main reason for the employees’ discontent was the implementation of a four-shift system and a five-day, eight-hour work schedule. This would result in the loss of overtime pay, leading to a significant reduction in their income.
[3] references workers striking for better pay, safer conditions, et al but doesn't mention slave like conditons etc. that you claimed
There are some issues though. It's slow (slower than an ocean liner since ships are more efficient at low speeds). And it's a cargo vessel, so the cargo sets the schedule. If there's an issue with the cargo that delays the ship by three weeks, you journey is delayed by three weeks. There also just isn't much happening. You have a room, a mess hall, a crew of maybe half a dozen to a dozen people to talk to, a ship to walk around on, and not much else.
It's more of a "the journey is the destination" thing. Accordingly there are a couple youtube channels documenting such journeys
Do you know if they can turn off the bright lights at night? Even for just an hour, coordinated with the crew or captain? I might consider such a journey. I've never seen the southern hemisphere sky.
Here is the only photo I could find: https://movimentoeconomico.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/05...
This is a giant RoRo. Compared to the one I used to cross the St Lawrence River a few years back, you could pack hundreds of them inside this in a meta meta car carrier.
What could go wrong?
“the new ship includes BYD box-type battery packs and shaft-belt generators for the first time”
EV fires are harder to put out, but in every other way this isn't different from any other car carrier
Consider this analysis of the invasion barges they’re preparing: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Klkpk_hO4FQ
Dual use sealift is just common sense. Too many years of stupid western analysis that PRC would waste $$$ to build dedicated TW amphib fleet, and point the absence of one as PRC not ready to invade TW. Reality is every $$$ PLAN spends on sealift is one not spent on weapons shooting back at US+co.
PRC RO/ROs (and a lot of other commercial shipping) are indeed build to military standards for TW scenario. Used for shipping cars like they're suppose to during peacetime to let that capex work, and armor vehicles during war.
Comparable RO/ROs have been actively involved in invasion TW training/exercises. PRC RO/RO numbers a couple years ago was enough to land 7 full PLA group armies (300k + equipment) on TW in about 10 days, or every US Army Brigade Combat team in 5 days. They'll probably have enough RO/RO sealift to cut that down to 2-3 days in a few more years.
And it’s not like the amphibs are only useful for Taiwan; there are plenty of disputed islands in the South China Sea worth fighting over.
SCS islands are too small to need amphib. Like even largest Taiping island is basically just a 1km long airstrip. LHD + paratroopers is enough. Maybe for Ryukyus if things get really spicy.
And China has plenty of RORO ships.
> Only way China sends this ship to Taiwan is if they already have a strong beach head and supply lines.
Yes, this is what I was saying here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42746043
These ships are the supply line. Sustaining a landing force after capturing a beachhead is an important problem and these ships are the solution.
> At that point it’ll be tough for Taiwan either way.
Yes but it will also be tough for China if their landing force can’t get reinforcements, food, fuel, and ammunition. A beachhead is just the beginning of a much harder fight to come through the cities and mountains of Taiwan.
And it’s very common to requisition merchant RORO ships for amphibious operations. The British did so during the Falklands War (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Atlantic_Conveyor).
https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/BYD-W...
To be fair, it's pretty large. If you zoom in, you can see some people in a door near the middle of the image, and they're nearly microscopic.
Edit: link updated with alternate documentary video without AI content, please reply with a better video if you find one on roros.
I suppose one can only buy 30 year old second hand vehicles.
