This was confirmed by Marcelo Schneider, Director of Commercial Vehicles at BYD $1211 (-3,27%) Brazil, confirmed this to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). BYD has been assembling electric bus chassis in Campinas in the state of São Paulo since 2015 and has produced around 600 chassis at the plant in these ten years. Based on the orders already secured, BYD expects to produce around 1,200 chassis in 2026 alone. This means that the plant's production capacity for next year is already fully utilized.
In its current expansion stage, the plant in Campinas has a nominal capacity of up to 2,000 chassis per year, but this could only be achieved under ideal conditions. According to Schneider, however, the actual production output and practically achievable limit is significantly lower, as the complexity of production depends on the respective bus configuration. In Campinas, for example, BYD also manufactures articulated buses, which therefore "require more time and resources".
According to the report, BYD is therefore planning a gradual expansion of production. In the short term, a temporary production facility is to be set up near Campinas, which would roughly double the current capacity within four to six months. However, this is only a temporary solution, as BYD is actually pursuing a much more comprehensive approach. The plan is to build a completely new factory, potentially replacing all the existing commercial vehicle plants currently scattered across the Campinas region. The Bai is planned in the state of São Paulo and is due to be commissioned in two to three years.
With the planned plant, BYD will also expand its locally manufactured range: the new factory will also be designed for the production of electric trucks, a segment that BYD currently serves in Brazil through imports. At full capacity, the new plant could produce between 6,000 and 7,000 chassis per year. The plant would then employ 700 to 800 people, compared to less than 100 at the current site.
According to BYD manager Schneider, the current good order situation is the result of a large "wave of fleet renewal" among many public transport operators. In São Paulo in particular, many operators are now procuring new buses and renewing their fleets, as the existing vehicles could not be replaced during the coronavirus pandemic and were therefore in service longer than planned.
BYD not only wants to produce for Brazil at the new plant, but also export the e-buses and chassis. This will involve the whole of South America, but exports to Africa are also being considered for the future, according to the report.
The plans mentioned only concern the plants in the state of São Paulo. In the state of Bahia, BYD is reportedly building a plant for electric and hybrid cars on a former Ford industrial site from 2023, one for e-bus and e-truck chassis and a third that will process lithium and iron phosphate for the international market.
