For context, BYD is only just entering the Canadian market[1], it looks like they're looking to really make their mark. Also the article mentions "the low six-per-cent tariff is capped at just 49,000, split between not only Chinese brands but Tesla, Volvo, and Polestar" and suggests that BYD may plan to build some of their cars in Canada.
I don't understand NAFTA very well but might that open the door to BYD cars being able to be sold in the US as well? if they aren't blanket banned that is.
The current laws ban cars connected to/associated with China, not just their manufacturing location. Polestar was recently banned entirely even though one of their cars was manufactured in the US. BYD cars manufactured in Canada would still be banned from import.
Although decisions have been arbitrary and capricious lately, and laws haven't been consistently enforced.
I wonder if they'll have the same impact they have had in Australia, BYD's everywhere the last year or so.
As of this week the BYD Atto 1 is the cheapest new car in Australia, not (just) cheapest electric car ... cheapest car. $19,990 drive away (ie including taxes and registration). It's not the best car but in a city where most families have two cars having one of them an Atto 1 is a value choice.
NAFTA is no longer a thing, the USMCA has been in effect since 2020 which handles trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico.
The USMCA has no vehicle import cap, however Canada created a separate nationalist tariff to push for Canadian vehicle production, and since Tesla has no Canadian manufacturing facility they have to pay a tariff after the cap is hit.
Buying a Chinese EV in Canada feels like such a gamble given the current geopolitical situation. Like what happens if things reverse and you can no longer get parts or support for these cars? Let's say you can get parts and third party shops open up to fill the support gap, how sure are you you'll continue to get the software updates these cars rely on?
While I'd love to consider a Chinese EV as my next car, there just seem to be too many early adopter risks here outside of the car itself.
I used to think like you. I'm in Norway, I currently own a EU-made BEV and my previous car was also an EU-made BEV, and to be honest I don't think it's much better with those.
Parts are quite bespoke regardless it seems given how integrated everything is now, and I'm pretty sure a lot of the parts (or at least sub-components) come from China anyway so might very well be affected by a global event.
Also, software updates aren't frequent and manufacturers are very opaque regarding support. That is, they defer you to local dealer for software support, and the dealers don't know shit.
Feels like cars have become much more disposable in the past decade or so. I'm definitely not planning on having my next car living 20+ years.
Meh. The entire geopolitical situation is unstable. If BYD is hoping to build manufacturing and infrastructure here, and they are willing to make significant investments, it makes sense for us (Canadians) to pursue that, while continuing to strengthening our ties to Europe, and making sure that any thoughts of Canada as a vassal state to the United States are consigned to the dustbin.
We had a close relationship with the United States, but we have been burned pretty badly, and it's up to the Americans to show that it's worth returning by stabilizing the rule of law, and eliminating the capricious and nonsensical trade barriers that have been implemented.
I wonder what the optimal charge time really is - 5 minutes is short enough that you might have to stay with the car then move it to avoid overstay fines.
If you are stopping for 20 minutes for a bathroom break and a snack every 2 or 3 hours on a long trip that might actually add 5 minutes each time.
I don’t disagree with that, but that doesn’t change the fact that overstay fees currently do exist on some EV chargers, e.g. Tesla chargers. I’d also not like to regress and have to wait that extra 5 minutes if possible since I don’t have to currently do that - plug in, leave the car and by the time I’m finished eating (20 mins) it’s ready.
It is also expected that you move your car immediately after filling (then paying) an ICE, in my country at least. Sometimes this can mean people waiting a few extra minutes for them to move their car while they go in to pay.
I think it's a chicken-and-egg problem: chargers have overstay fees because charging times can be very long and it's expected that people will plug in and then leave to do something else. If charging times were extremely short (five minutes), then this expectation would vanish and people would be expected to stay with the car while its charging and then vacate as soon as possible, and then there would be no need for overstay fees.
Of course, you can't expect prices as cheap as China. There are shipping costs, local regulation compliance overheads and increased labour costs (for dealers, sales/marketing, servicing etc).
But as an example, Australia is a highly developed country with high labour costs/standards -- similar to Canada in many ways (though closer to China geographically). But without a local car industry to protect, there are no tariffs nor quotas on Chinese cars.
I expect Canada in the short-term to have prices similar to Europe/UK. With car manufacturers focusing on the premium models (which are the highest priced and hence greatest profit). But there's no reason they can't drop further as trade barriers are lifted and manufacturers are subjected to greater competition.
It's not about being cheap. China has been manufacturing high end goods for the global marketplace for a long time, and has also been doing if for their domestic market. The challenge is that most Canadian and American experiences with Chinese products are with white-label, top tier products like the iPhone built to high quality standards, or dollar store trash manufactured as cheaply as possible to be cheap. Until Apple started moving production, most consumers thought of the IPhone as an American product when it was really American software running on Chinese hardware (I know, it's a simplification). From everything I have read, the BYD cars that would be available here would be competitive products, not the cheapest thing you can buy, which means you should expect to pay for them, but the feature set and value will likely be higher (though I will remain skeptical till I can take one on a test drive here).
I am cautiously optimistic about this, and look forward to that test drive.
When the Carney government decided to let a small, capped, number of Chinese EV's into Canada's auto market, it was clearly meant to send a message to Trump. Namely, if you succeed in destroying our auto sector, we'll drop all tariff's and import bans on auto's from abroad so de-Canada'ified American autos will have to compete on a level playing field for what is, currently, their #1 export market.
Instead of treating this concession like something that could be negotiated away at any moment, BYD is going hard right out of the gate. Even Tesla only built a small and inadequate charging network in Canada. If BYD builds a more substantial charging network while they have the access, that access will be much harder to take away. It would go from a potential negotiating chip to something Canadians won't want to do without.
I drive a Ford Mustang Mach-E, but would happily switch to BYD car just to get access to that kind of fast charging, especially if it's available across Canada.
Also, it would be great to see aftermarket kits for existing EVs to upgrade to supported battery kits. This is probably a pipe dream, and I don't know anything about what it would take to accomplish this. If that's not possible, there should be much stronger standards on how batteries are built, shaped, etc, and controls on how the batteries can be discharged. Batteries already appear to be the most expensive part of maintenance cross the two EV (one PHEV, and one EV) that I have owned - pushing for standardization should help drive those costs down, and enable longevity for new and potentially existing fleets. Last thing we need is cars becoming as disposable as phones because of battery lock in and manufacturers dropping support.
Its fairly cool because, in order to deliver current at these rates, battery storage colocation is typically required (as utility power can rarely deliver this current at these speeds). Every fast DC charge station becomes a battery storage node on the electrical grid, and in the aggregate, they become a distributed virtual power plant. They will soak up low carbon energy when cheap, and could potentially discharge for energy price arb distinct from EV fast DC charging, while also acting as distributed grid health support (frequency and voltage support).
Five minute charging and grid support to deprecate thermal generation is solved simultaneously, with batteries that continue to rapidly decline in price.
Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality - https://ourworldindata.org/battery-price-decline (First published in 2024; updated and rewritten in March 2026)
For context, BYD is only just entering the Canadian market[1], it looks like they're looking to really make their mark. Also the article mentions "the low six-per-cent tariff is capped at just 49,000, split between not only Chinese brands but Tesla, Volvo, and Polestar" and suggests that BYD may plan to build some of their cars in Canada.
I don't understand NAFTA very well but might that open the door to BYD cars being able to be sold in the US as well? if they aren't blanket banned that is.
1: https://eletric-vehicles.com/byd/byd-canada-targets-twenty-d...
The current laws ban cars connected to/associated with China, not just their manufacturing location. Polestar was recently banned entirely even though one of their cars was manufactured in the US. BYD cars manufactured in Canada would still be banned from import.
Although decisions have been arbitrary and capricious lately, and laws haven't been consistently enforced.
I wonder if they'll have the same impact they have had in Australia, BYD's everywhere the last year or so.
As of this week the BYD Atto 1 is the cheapest new car in Australia, not (just) cheapest electric car ... cheapest car. $19,990 drive away (ie including taxes and registration). It's not the best car but in a city where most families have two cars having one of them an Atto 1 is a value choice.
My long term fear, here in the rust belt, is their corrosion protection.
NAFTA is no longer a thing, the USMCA has been in effect since 2020 which handles trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico.
The USMCA has no vehicle import cap, however Canada created a separate nationalist tariff to push for Canadian vehicle production, and since Tesla has no Canadian manufacturing facility they have to pay a tariff after the cap is hit.
Buying a Chinese EV in Canada feels like such a gamble given the current geopolitical situation. Like what happens if things reverse and you can no longer get parts or support for these cars? Let's say you can get parts and third party shops open up to fill the support gap, how sure are you you'll continue to get the software updates these cars rely on?
While I'd love to consider a Chinese EV as my next car, there just seem to be too many early adopter risks here outside of the car itself.
I used to think like you. I'm in Norway, I currently own a EU-made BEV and my previous car was also an EU-made BEV, and to be honest I don't think it's much better with those.
Parts are quite bespoke regardless it seems given how integrated everything is now, and I'm pretty sure a lot of the parts (or at least sub-components) come from China anyway so might very well be affected by a global event.
Also, software updates aren't frequent and manufacturers are very opaque regarding support. That is, they defer you to local dealer for software support, and the dealers don't know shit.
Feels like cars have become much more disposable in the past decade or so. I'm definitely not planning on having my next car living 20+ years.
Meh. The entire geopolitical situation is unstable. If BYD is hoping to build manufacturing and infrastructure here, and they are willing to make significant investments, it makes sense for us (Canadians) to pursue that, while continuing to strengthening our ties to Europe, and making sure that any thoughts of Canada as a vassal state to the United States are consigned to the dustbin.
We had a close relationship with the United States, but we have been burned pretty badly, and it's up to the Americans to show that it's worth returning by stabilizing the rule of law, and eliminating the capricious and nonsensical trade barriers that have been implemented.
I wonder what the optimal charge time really is - 5 minutes is short enough that you might have to stay with the car then move it to avoid overstay fines.
If you are stopping for 20 minutes for a bathroom break and a snack every 2 or 3 hours on a long trip that might actually add 5 minutes each time.
Five minutes is basically the same time to put gasoline in a car, and there hasn't been a huge push to have overstay fines there.
I don’t disagree with that, but that doesn’t change the fact that overstay fees currently do exist on some EV chargers, e.g. Tesla chargers. I’d also not like to regress and have to wait that extra 5 minutes if possible since I don’t have to currently do that - plug in, leave the car and by the time I’m finished eating (20 mins) it’s ready.
It is also expected that you move your car immediately after filling (then paying) an ICE, in my country at least. Sometimes this can mean people waiting a few extra minutes for them to move their car while they go in to pay.
I think it's a chicken-and-egg problem: chargers have overstay fees because charging times can be very long and it's expected that people will plug in and then leave to do something else. If charging times were extremely short (five minutes), then this expectation would vanish and people would be expected to stay with the car while its charging and then vacate as soon as possible, and then there would be no need for overstay fees.
I'd love to get a BYD electric in Canada but it seems like they won't be selling for anywhere near as cheap as people are expecting?
Well, depends on how cheap are people expecting?
https://www.byd.international/pricing provides an international (non-BYD affiliated) perspective.
Of course, you can't expect prices as cheap as China. There are shipping costs, local regulation compliance overheads and increased labour costs (for dealers, sales/marketing, servicing etc).
But as an example, Australia is a highly developed country with high labour costs/standards -- similar to Canada in many ways (though closer to China geographically). But without a local car industry to protect, there are no tariffs nor quotas on Chinese cars.
Recently, fierce competition between rival (Chinese) brands (BYD, MG, Geely) has resulted in the BYD Atto 1 EV becoming Australia's cheapest car at A$19,990 or US$14,279 (see: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-byd-atto-1-becomes-austra... ).
I expect Canada in the short-term to have prices similar to Europe/UK. With car manufacturers focusing on the premium models (which are the highest priced and hence greatest profit). But there's no reason they can't drop further as trade barriers are lifted and manufacturers are subjected to greater competition.
It's not about being cheap. China has been manufacturing high end goods for the global marketplace for a long time, and has also been doing if for their domestic market. The challenge is that most Canadian and American experiences with Chinese products are with white-label, top tier products like the iPhone built to high quality standards, or dollar store trash manufactured as cheaply as possible to be cheap. Until Apple started moving production, most consumers thought of the IPhone as an American product when it was really American software running on Chinese hardware (I know, it's a simplification). From everything I have read, the BYD cars that would be available here would be competitive products, not the cheapest thing you can buy, which means you should expect to pay for them, but the feature set and value will likely be higher (though I will remain skeptical till I can take one on a test drive here).
I am cautiously optimistic about this, and look forward to that test drive.
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When the Carney government decided to let a small, capped, number of Chinese EV's into Canada's auto market, it was clearly meant to send a message to Trump. Namely, if you succeed in destroying our auto sector, we'll drop all tariff's and import bans on auto's from abroad so de-Canada'ified American autos will have to compete on a level playing field for what is, currently, their #1 export market.
Instead of treating this concession like something that could be negotiated away at any moment, BYD is going hard right out of the gate. Even Tesla only built a small and inadequate charging network in Canada. If BYD builds a more substantial charging network while they have the access, that access will be much harder to take away. It would go from a potential negotiating chip to something Canadians won't want to do without.
Yes please.
I drive a Ford Mustang Mach-E, but would happily switch to BYD car just to get access to that kind of fast charging, especially if it's available across Canada.
Also, it would be great to see aftermarket kits for existing EVs to upgrade to supported battery kits. This is probably a pipe dream, and I don't know anything about what it would take to accomplish this. If that's not possible, there should be much stronger standards on how batteries are built, shaped, etc, and controls on how the batteries can be discharged. Batteries already appear to be the most expensive part of maintenance cross the two EV (one PHEV, and one EV) that I have owned - pushing for standardization should help drive those costs down, and enable longevity for new and potentially existing fleets. Last thing we need is cars becoming as disposable as phones because of battery lock in and manufacturers dropping support.
This is insane. Just a few years ago I was gawking at Chinese battery-swap stations, and now their chargers are pushing FIFTEEN HUNDRED KILOWATTS
Its fairly cool because, in order to deliver current at these rates, battery storage colocation is typically required (as utility power can rarely deliver this current at these speeds). Every fast DC charge station becomes a battery storage node on the electrical grid, and in the aggregate, they become a distributed virtual power plant. They will soak up low carbon energy when cheap, and could potentially discharge for energy price arb distinct from EV fast DC charging, while also acting as distributed grid health support (frequency and voltage support).
Five minute charging and grid support to deprecate thermal generation is solved simultaneously, with batteries that continue to rapidly decline in price.
CATL now sells batteries online for $63/kWh - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49438604 - August 2026 (4 comments)
Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality - https://ourworldindata.org/battery-price-decline (First published in 2024; updated and rewritten in March 2026)
Yeah, I was just thinking that station would probably have to be a pretty big power bank in order to deliver that kind of surge. So cool.
Does BYD export such EVs yet? The quickest charging ones you can get in NZ right now are 220kW and most are 110-150kW - https://evdb.nz/evs?make=BYD&dcCharging=100–200&mega=true
Same in Australia - https://evdbau.com/evs?make=BYD&dcCharging=200–350&mega=true
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