BYD Plans Investing in 3,000 Fast-Charging Stations Across Europe by End of 2026
On February 4, 2026, Euronews reported an interview with Stella Li, Executive Vice President of Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD, at the World Government Summit 2026 to discuss the company’s rapid global ascent and its long-term ambitions in Europe.
Once best known as a battery manufacturer, BYD has transformed into one of the world’s most influential EV producers and recently surpassed Tesla in global electric vehicle sales. In 2025, BYD sold 2.26 million battery-electric vehicles, compared with Tesla’s 1.63 million deliveries.
According to Li, who was named World Car Person of the Year in 2025, the company’s direction has never wavered.
“Our dream was always to produce electric cars,” she told Euronews Next in Dubai. “As we grew, we had the opportunity to acquire a car company. That allowed us to build EVs entirely within BYD and realise every innovation we envisioned.”
Today, BYD employs more than 120,000 research and development engineers worldwide.
Manufacturing scale and model diversity
Li points to BYD’s manufacturing heritage as a core competitive advantage. Deeply embedded in global consumer electronics supply chains, BYD manufactures components or complete assemblies for roughly one-third of the world’s smartphones.
“One third of global smartphones, either the components or the full assembly, are made by BYD,” Li said. “We are very strong in tuning, machinery and precise, high-quality manufacturing.”
In Europe and the Gulf region, BYD now offers more than 13 vehicle models, spanning compact city cars to ultra-high-performance vehicles.
At the top end sits the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme hypercar, which Li highlighted for its 308.4 mph top speed, placing it as the fastest production car in the world, the first time an EV has won the honor. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Dolphin, designed for urban mobility and short daily commutes. The model has earned a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and was named World Car of the Year 2025.
Charging innovation and European expansion
Charging infrastructure remains a major hurdle for EV adoption, particularly in Europe where electricity costs exceed those in China and the United States. BYD aims to address this through integrated energy solutions combining battery storage, solar power and ultra-fast charging.
“We have invented one-megawatt charging,” Li said. “In five minutes, you can get 400 kilometres. Recharging becomes as fast as refuelling.”
BYD plans to deploy approximately 3,000 fast-charging stations across Europe by the end of the year.
While trade tariffs have created headwinds for Chinese automakers, Li downplayed their long-term significance. “Trade is always a short-term play. We don’t support it. It hurts the consumer,” she said.
Instead, BYD is prioritising local production. A new €4 billion manufacturing facility in southern Hungary is scheduled to begin operations in the second quarter of 2026, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to Europe.
“For BYD, Europe and the GCC are long-term markets,” Li said. “You need to deliver strong value, high quality and excellent after-sales service.”
Li also identified the Middle East as a critical growth region, particularly for autonomous driving, robotics and energy storage. “We already have a national partnership with the UAE government for battery storage,” she noted. “BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams.’ This really is a dreamland.”
