Tesla's Most Dangerous Rival Just Revealed Its 1,200 Mile Range Hybrids

Chinese electric carmaker, BYD, has announced its latest hybrid platform for electric cars that claims to deliver an unprecedented range of over 1,200 miles. Regarded as one of the most potent Tesla rivals to emerge from China, the company's fifth-generation DM hybrid powertrain vastly surpasses what any other U.S. or European carmaker has achieved so far.

In an introductory video released on Chinese video sharing platform, Bili Bili, the company showcased media tests of its updated hybrid platform. On a full tank and the battery charge at max, all cars used in the media test are claimed to have reached a range of 1,429 miles. Notably, the best endurance figure stood close to 1,550 miles.

"Facing continuous long uphill slopes, heavy traffic, high temperatures, and air conditioning at 24°C throughout the entire journey, the system was tested as it was normally driven" says the company's official description of the test situation. During that journey, the company says fuel consumption on all cars was less than 2.5 liters, which is once again a benchmark, as per the company. In a few cases, it was lower than 2 liters.

Touted to be the best hybrid system in the world, BYD's DM fifth-generation powertrain will first appear inside the Seal 06 and Qin L sedans. However, the company hasn't announced when the updated vehicles will make their way to the Western market, especially to U.S. soil. BYD's journey has been rather fascinating. Back in 2011, Elon Musk laughed at the proposition of BYD being a Tesla competitor.

"Have you seen their cars," Musk said in an interview. He later made an about-face. "That was many years ago. Their cars are highly competitive these days," he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In another interaction, he mentioned that Chinese automakers like BYD will demolish the competition without trade guardrails in place.

Notably, BYD surpassed the shipment figures of Tesla electric cars in the fourth quarter of 2023, becoming the top EV brand in the world. Moreover, the company has a more diverse portfolio compared to Tesla, as it makes both battery-only as well as plug-in hybrids. For two years in a row, BYD has also shipped more cars than Tesla, clocking over 3 million units in 2023. Notably, the company has dramatic ambitions at each end of the market spectrum.

Earlier this year, BYD launched the U9, an electric car with a stunning design that aims to take on the likes of Ferrari in the luxury segment. Priced at roughly a quarter million dollars, the U9 is said to reach a peak speed north of 180 miles per hour. Tesla's second-gen Roadster is yet to hit the roads following a 2017 reveal. 

On the other hand, BYD also sells a popular budget EV, the Seagull, which costs close to only $10,000. Tesla has reportedly nixed its plans to make a car cheaper than the entry-point Model 3, which recently got its own makeover.