BYD enters Europe’s electric truck market with 600 km range flagship

BYD unveiled its ETT 44 heavy-duty electric tractor at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover on Monday, marking the Chinese automaker's entry into Europe's competitive long-haul truck market with a vehicle that pairs a 651 kWh battery with megawatt-class charging speeds.electrek+1

The 4×2 tractor, designed for gross combination weights up to 44 tonnes, runs on BYD's lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery on an 851V architecture. BYD quotes up to 600 km of range, 743 PS of continuous power with a 1,000 PS peak, and a 10-year or 1.2-million-kilometer battery warranty. On a standard CCS2 DC charger, the ETT 44 pulls up to 420 kW and charges from 20% to 80% in about an hour. Connected to BYD's Megawatt Charging System, the same session takes roughly 20 minutes at over 1.5 MW.electrive+1

"We have already put FLASH Charging into practice in passenger vehicles. Today, we are bringing this technology to commercial vehicles, starting with our trucks," said Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD.electrek

Five-Star Safety Rating

Euro NCAP released its latest truck safety results alongside the IAA opening, and the ETT 44 became the first long-haul electric truck rated under the program, earning five stars along with the Mercedes-Benz Actros F and Scania Traton SE ↗ 2.76%. The BYD truck scored 89% for Safe Driving, benefiting from strong direct vision, a low cab design, and camera-based digital mirrors, though its 73% Crash Avoidance score trailed the Mercedes and Scania results.automotiveworld+1

Competitive Landscape

The ETT 44 enters a market where Daimler Truck, Volvo, MAN, and Scania are all pushing battery-electric tractors. Volvo quotes up to 700 km of range for its new FH Aero Electric, though manufacturer figures are not directly comparable due to differing test conditions. Competition from other Chinese manufacturers is also intensifying, with Sany, Sinotruk, and Skyworth presenting heavy-duty electric trucks at Hannover.electrive

BYD is pitching more than a truck. The company showed rigid 4×2 and 6×2 trucks, light commercial vans, and a yard tractor, covering a 3.5- to 44-tonne range. It is also bundling vehicles with its own megawatt chargers, stationary energy storage, energy management, and financing under what it calls a "Total Cost of Mobility" model. Whether European regulators, already wary enough to impose tariffs on Chinese EVs, will welcome a Chinese company supplying both the trucks and the charging backbone remains an open question.automotiveworld+1