BYD Unveils 62 MWh Grid Storage Block While Mapping 2027 European Truck Entry

BYD launched the GC Block battery storage unit in Shenzhen and confirmed plans for its first heavy truck in Europe in 2027 as overseas deliveries hit a record.

BYD is pushing deeper into energy infrastructure and overseas commercial vehicles at the same time, unveiling a standardized large-scale battery storage unit in Shenzhen while confirming plans to bring heavy trucks to Europe by 2027.

The company's energy storage division presented the GC Block, a system aimed at grid-connected projects at gigawatt scale with capacity of up to 62 megawatt-hours. It runs on Blade-series battery cells rated at 1,980 ampere-hours and comes in three configurations: a two-hour discharge version at 7.5 megawatts and 15.5 MWh, a four-hour unit at 7.5 MW and 31 MWh, and a six-hour variant delivering 10 MW and 62 MWh.

The hardware is part of a broader grid-forming solution that bundles the battery modules with the GC Flux PCS 2.0 power conversion system and GC Master EMS 2.0 control software. BYD is leaning on scale effects from its vertically integrated cell production to serve industrial storage applications.

Europe Truck Debut Set for 2027

On the commercial vehicle side, a company executive told Reuters at the IAA show in Hanover on Monday that BYD will launch its first heavy truck in Europe in 2027, with local manufacturing planned over the longer term.

That fits with aggressive export ambitions. Management told brokerage houses that overseas vehicle deliveries should exceed 2.5 million units in 2027, according to Reuters, following a targeted 1.9 million to 2.0 million vehicles abroad in 2026.

The overseas focus carries strategic weight. China's domestic passenger car market contracted for an 11th straight month in August, even as BYD and other local manufacturers notched record shipments abroad. Global sales have now risen for four consecutive months, with robust exports offsetting soft home demand.

August Deliveries Reveal a Sharp Split

August figures laid bare that divergence. BYD shipped 440,293 new-energy vehicles, up 17.84 percent from a year earlier, with battery-electric cars driving the gain at 256,230 units, a 28.4 percent jump. Domestic sales, however, fell 14.3 percent, while overseas deliveries surged 134.5 percent to a record 189,466 units.

Product renewal is running alongside the export push. Earlier this month the company launched the Sealion 08, a new SUV flagship whose all-electric version offers a range of up to 900 kilometers. New categories and international markets are taking on greater importance as competition at home intensifies.

Washington Scrutiny Adds Pressure

BYD's expansion outside China brings regulatory as well as competitive challenges. In the United States, Chinese players have again drawn political attention: the US transportation secretary raised concerns in a letter to Ford chief executive Jim Farley about the American automaker's business ties to Chinese vehicle and battery companies, naming BYD alongside Geely and CATL.

The stock has reflected the difficult backdrop. Shares closed Tuesday at EUR 8.88 and slipped 0.8 percent to EUR 8.80 on Wednesday, leaving the paper down 18 percent since the start of the year. The company reported its first quarterly profit increase in more than a year roughly three weeks ago, yet the shares have lost 10.3 percent of their value since then.

Whether the planned expansion into European commercial vehicle fleets can generate fresh momentum now rests largely on how well the local production plans are executed.