The BYD stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Goodwood, UK, in July. Chinese carmakers flocked to the motorsports festival in a bid to broaden their appeal to European consumers after their initial growth in the market slowed.
Photographer: Carlos Jasso/BloombergTo Succeed in Europe’s EV Market, BYD Will Have to Win Over Wary Drivers
China’s EV giant is pursuing a rapid expansion in Europe and the UK, but it will have to overcome tariffs, political backlash and consumer skepticism.
If you’ve spent most of your life driving an internal-combustion car, pressing down on an EV accelerator for the first time is hard to describe. “It just goes,” says Kevin Wood, who lives in Hampshire, UK, and bought his first electric car last year. Wood, 54, took the leap of faith after discovering he could lease an EV through his employer, securing a tax break in the process.
Then Wood took a second leap of faith: He chose an Atto 3, made by China’s BYD Co. Ten months later, he remains impressed by the SUV’s range, handling, comfortable seats, trunk space and voice-controlled sunroof. Wood calls it “genuinely a lovely car to drive.”