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'Electrifying': EVs steal show at Automobile Barcelona as China's BYD charges ahead
Ken Browne in Barcelona
Sales in the EV industry rose by 60 percent worldwide in 2022. /BYD
Sales in the EV industry rose by 60 percent worldwide in 2022. /BYD

Sales in the EV industry rose by 60 percent worldwide in 2022. /BYD

'Electrifying' was the theme of the Automobile Barcelona show this year - and it lived up to its name.

The biggest manufacturers in the electric vehicle (EV) industry all brought their latest models, which together reflected the market's diversity, the latest in technology, and the beauty of next generation EVs.

The EV industry is on an unstoppable rise: sales rose by 60 percent worldwide in 2022, and cracked the 10 million vehicles sold mark for the first time ever in 2022. Essentially, the race to go green is on.

Europe may be the birthplace of the automobile, but the EU recently passed legislation banning the manufacture and sale of petrol and diesel engines by 2035 as it looks to tackle one of the principal causes of the climate crisis.‌

But innovation could potentially overtake legislation, according to some experts, while others say that much more needs to be done.

"We are working and innovating with new technologies to achieve decarbonization," auto industry expert Felix Garcia told CGTN in Barcelona.

'We need the rest of society to commit'

"We are doing our part, but now we need all the other actors to do theirs too so that we can move hand-in-hand towards zero emissions," he added.

Garcia went on to say that governments need to invest more in the supporting infrastructure and that people need to be more willing to adopt these new technologies.

"Now we need the rest of society to commit too," said Garcia.

"Today in Spain the public charging network infrastructure does not exist to allow us to travel comfortably. We need charging points all across Spain and not just in the bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona."

 

‌The lack of infrastructure and the high price of EVs mean that just 5 percent of all cars sold in Spain in 2022 were electric. /BYD
‌The lack of infrastructure and the high price of EVs mean that just 5 percent of all cars sold in Spain in 2022 were electric. /BYD

‌The lack of infrastructure and the high price of EVs mean that just 5 percent of all cars sold in Spain in 2022 were electric. /BYD

 

‌The lack of infrastructure and the high price of EVs mean that just 5 percent of all cars sold in Spain in 2022 were electric. That echoes a similar take up in the U.S. of 5.6 percent.

But that's comparatively small compared to the Europe-wide electric market share of 10 percent - or 19 percent in China.

 

The world's biggest EV maker

One of the EV manufacturers leading the way worldwide is China's BYD.

Over the last twelve months, the Chinese NEV (New Energy Vehicle) giant sold more plugin vehicles than any other company on the planet, including Tesla.

They are still relatively unknown across Europe, but are now rolling out their new fleet across several countries.

At Automobile Barcelona, BYD used the event to launch two new models in Spain: the Seal and the Dolphin.‌

The Seal competes in the same space as the Tesla Model 3, is around the same size, and can go over 600km on a single charge. It will likely be in a similar price range too.

 

BYD used Automobile Barcelona to launch two new models in Spain: the Seal and the Dolphin.‌ /BYD
BYD used Automobile Barcelona to launch two new models in Spain: the Seal and the Dolphin.‌ /BYD

BYD used Automobile Barcelona to launch two new models in Spain: the Seal and the Dolphin.‌ /BYD

 

The Dolphin is the cheaper of the two new additions and comes in at around $30,000 dollars, boasting a BYD 'Blade' battery and a 350km range on one charge - a battery covered by a six-year warranty.

At that price, manufacturers are hoping to help EVs become more accessible.

‌"We believe that electric mobility has to be available for every citizen, not only for a few privileged people," BYD's PR manager in Spain, Inigo Trasmonte, told CGTN at the show.  

"I think we really have an opportunity to electrify and to offer more sustainable mobility for the customers in Spain."

BYD, which stands for 'Build Your Dreams,' makes electric cars, trucks, buses and more, and the company has big green goals - specifically to help reverse the negative effects of climate change and reduce global warming by one percent.

 

'We are here to stay'

‌"The most important thing about BYD is that we are the largest manufacturers of New Energy Vehicles in the world," Trasmonte explained, highlighting the fact that the company manufactures everything in the production of their EVs, from the chassis to the power-train and even right down to the microchips.

That gives them a big advantage in bringing new models to the market fast, but in a mature and highly competitive European space, BYD is aware that they will have to be patient.

"In Spain we are going to try to fight for our space in the market. Of course, we want to be very humble, but we are here to stay," Trasmonte added.

 

The electric revolution: Here to stay?

The Spanish government, like others in the EU, have introduced subsidies on electric car sales to help lower the price and bridge the significant gap between the price of a petrol and diesel car and their electric equivalent.

The move has been largely welcomed, but some critics say the country still lacks the infrastructure to have everyone cruising down electric avenue just yet.

It's also the first time  that consumers will be forced to buy a certain type of vehicle when the EU directives come into force by 2035.

Regardless of the hesitations, EV car production looks set to be ramped up massively over the next decade with China, Europe and the U.S. leading the charge.

Supporters say that electric cars will lead to cleaner, greener, quieter cities, and with a parallel rise in renewable energy sources, they are an essential element in the battle against global heating.‌

Some forecasts suggest that over 60 percent of all vehicles sold by 2030 will be non-combustion.

And if the Automobile Barcelona car show was a test-drive for the future, then the electric revolution looks here to stay.

 

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