The world’s largest EV maker is getting into humanoid robotics.
Shenzen-based BYD, which recently passed Tesla as the world’s top seller of electric vehicles, is already investing heavily into humanoid robotics. The manufacturer already has humanoids collaborating with autonomous systems at its plants.
Now, according to reports, the manufacturer is getting deeper into the rapidly expanding humanoid robotics market.
BYD is reportedly building a new Embodied Intelligence Research Team to focus on developing advanced robotics.
The company is actively recruiting masters and PhD grads from top universities around the world for the initiative. The team’s focus will be making factories more efficient by automating tasks like assembly and inspections. BYD plans to invest ¥100 billion, or nearly $14 billion USD, into advanced AI.
If BYD aims to take on Tesla with its own humanoid, it has some big challenges. The automaker has catching up to do, as Tesla has been developing its Optimus robot since 2021.
It’s a priority project, and Elon Musk says it will one day become the company’s top-selling product by far. While Tesla already designs most of its robot components and systems in-house, BYD relies heavily on partnerships.
Primarily seen as an automaker, BYD must overcome perceptions to be taken seriously as a robotics innovator.
There are also plenty of advantages.
With more than 30 factories worldwide, BYD’s production scale eclipses Tesla’s. Like Tesla, BYD is seen as a leader in factory automation, already proving it can effectively scale.
A convergence of factors is pushing BYD to innovate faster. A growing labor shortage in China, intensified by the country’s aging population, heightens the need for automation to meet demand.
China’s national push to dominate humanoid robotics by 2027 aligns with BYD’s factory automation and robotics ambitions. With strong government support, BYD has access to funding, talent, and research collaborations to accelerate development.