Ford CEO says Chinese automakers like BYD are its greatest EV rivals

DETROIT – Ford Motor's largest contention successful electrical vehicles isn't U.S. person Tesla oregon crosstown rival General Motors, it's Chinese automakers, CEO Jim Farley said Thursday.

Farley said Chinese companies specified arsenic Warren Buffett-backed BYD are up of the ample U.S. automakers and startups connected electrical vehicles, specifically artillery chemistry and different emerging technologies.

"We spot the Chinese arsenic the main competitor, not GM or Toyota," Farley said during the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Finance Summit.

He utilized BYD arsenic the premier illustration of a Chinese automaker that has successfully developed and sold EVs — archetypal successful China, and present Europe.

"I similar BYD. Totally vertically integrated, assertive … very, precise awesome company. And they were ever committed to electric," Farley said erstwhile asked which institution is doing EVs right.

BYD has grown its income successful China from 445,000 units successful 2015 to astir 2 cardinal past year, making it 1 of the apical 5 automakers by income successful China, according to LMC Automotive.

Farley's comments echo those of manufacture experts and investors regarding the maturation of BYD and different Chinese automakers, which person authorities backing successful China.

"BYD has a immense place, some from the electrical conveyance position and besides done the artillery accumulation side," Philip Ripman, portfolio manager astatine Storebrand Asset Management, told CNBC Pro Talks past week.

Ripman, who manages the $1 cardinal Storebrand Global Solutions sustainable fund, highlighted BYD's developments successful cheaper, sodium-ion artillery technology, which could perchance regenerate lithium batteries. He noted that these could go prevalent successful BYD's much affordable EVs and assistance summation nett margins for the automaker.

Farley besides noted BYD's artillery advantages compared to the existent U.S. manufacture modular of lithium-ion focused batteries.

Ford earlier this twelvemonth announced a caller collaboration with China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., oregon CATL, for a new $3.5 cardinal plant to physique cheaper batteries successful Michigan.

The installation volition nutrient caller lithium robust phosphate batteries, oregon LFP, arsenic opposed to pricier nickel cobalt manganese batteries with lithium, which the institution is presently using. It is expected to unfastened successful 2026 and employment astir 2,500 people, according to the Detroit automaker.

Farley touted BYD's relation successful gathering retired that technology.

"BYD's standard is mode bigger than Tesla now, and they developed the LFP technology, which is simply a amended battery," Farley said.

The Ford-CATL woody has been criticized amid tensions betwixt the U.S. and China. Specifically, Marco Rubio asked the Biden administration to reappraisal the deal, which includes Ford licensing CATL's technologies. The Detroit automaker volition ain the caller installation done a wholly-owned subsidiary alternatively of operating it arsenic a associated task with CATL.

Farley said if authorities get successful the mode of allowing cheaper EV technologies successful the U.S., the user is going to beryllium "screwed" with higher prices.

"We person to enactment done that successful our country. And I deliberation they're truly absorbing companies," Farley said.