China’s Build Your Dreams (BYD) company has recently placed an order for 8 “RoRo” cargo ships that are capable of carrying vehicles from a shipyard in Yantai. The ships are worth 5 billion Yuan, which is equivalent to around $698 million.
The BYD company is China’s biggest electric vehicle manufacturer, and second only behind Tesla when compared to the rest of the world. The company is the leading new energy vehicle manufacturer by creating a broad range of internal combustion and hybrid passenger vehicles after their focus has been switched to 100% electric powered vehicles.
These massive ships have the capability to carry 7,700 vehicles each, which will help the Build Your Dreams brand expand their global footprint. While eight have been ordered, six have been confirmed, and options down the road to add the other two if they are required. The BYD company has become the largest EV maker by volume during the second quarter of 2022, surprisingly overtaking Tesla. They are currently in markets in Thailand, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, and India.
The RoRo ship received its name based on how the cargo is rolled on and rolled off the ship. These ships have built-in ramps on the bow or stern of the ship making it much easier to load the ship. These ships have the capability to operate across rivers, short and long distances through the sea. The RoRo ship is primarily used for cargo that is wheeled on based on its design, things like cars, motorcycles, trailers, or basically any kind of vehicle. The RoRo ships are different from typical cargo ships as they don’t have to rely on cranes to load and unload their freight, instead they can use ramps. The ramps are typically held at ports so the ship doesn’t have to carry their own built-in ramp.
There are a few RoRo ships to choose from, all of which offer different advantages and disadvantages. There are six total: pure car carriers (PCC), pure truck & car carriers (PTCC), conro, RoLo, LMsR, and RoPax. The PCC is used exclusively for transporting cars and nothing else. The pure truck and car carriers are used for transporting trucks and cars. The conro is a cross between a container ship and a RoRo ship, where below the deck will store vehicles and the top deck for shipping containers. The RoLo is a roll-on and lift-off vessel. The LMSR is a large, medium-speed roll-on and roll-off vessel. A majority of LMSR are Military Sealift Command that were built for military cargo. Finally, the RoPax is a roll-on/roll-off and passengers, which is used for transporting the wheeled freight in addition to passengers on board.
The BYD company will use the auto ships to continue expanding their brand throughout the world, and the RoRo ships will help deliver their cars around the world. The BYD company recently revealed the Atto 3, an electronic SUV for Rs 50,000. The BYD EV will be similar to the Hyundai Kona electric and the mg ZS EV which is sold in India.
The new EV gets a whopping 60.48 kWh battery that enables the vehicle to have a range of 521 km on a single charge. This is the equivalent to about 321 miles, a larger range of miles than any of the other electric vehicles on the market. Furthermore, it will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 mph in just 7.3 seconds, even though it weighs 1,750 kg kerb. Finally, it is capable of producing 150 kW or 201 hp of maximum power and 310 Nm torque rating.
The BYD is one the top electric vehicle makers in the world, extremely close to Tesla on the world market stage. They are attempting to expand their company by using the RoRo transportation system to ship their electric vehicles on a mass scale.
