Hyperdrive
Didi to Deliver First BYD Electric Cars to Drivers Within Months
- China’s Didi already hosts around a million EVs in its network
- The ride-hailing leader is grappling with intense competition
Didi Chuxing flagged as early as 2018 its intention to team up with car manufacturers to produce customized EVs for its ride-hailing service.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Didi Chuxing will begin rolling out an electric vehicle developed with BYD Co. to its drivers in coming months, aiming to reduce costs throughout the world’s largest ride-hailing network.
The D1, the first model to have been built with ride-hailing in mind, will ship to the startup’s leasing partners across several Chinese cities, according to Didi. Made by BYD, in which Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is the largest shareholder, the vehicle has power sliding doors and a driver-assistance system.