Is the US losing the EV race?
5/26/202629 min
In 2025, the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles. As conflict in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices and boosts demand for EVs, Chinese carmakers are seizing the opportunity.
Driven by years of state-backed investment and industrial policy, China has quietly become the global powerhouse of EV production, leading the industry in technology, innovation and affordability, while the US struggles to keep up.
In today’s episode, we speak to Suranjana Tewari, Asia Business Correspondent for BBC News. She explains what BYD cars are really like, and how China won the EV race.
Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller
Executive Producer: Bridget Harney
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior News Editor: China Collins
Photo: A newly presented electric roadster Formula X of BYD's brand Fang Cheng Bao appears at the company’s booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China), in Beijing, China April 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKai Wright0:00
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Speaker 10:06
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Kai Wright0:10
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Asma Khalid· Host0:27
[upbeat music] When you picture an electric car here in the US, you probably think of a Tesla. It has dominated the EV market in the States for years. But Elon Musk's car company is now lagging behind a Chinese rival that many Americans may have never heard of. It's called BYD, and it's surpassed Tesla to become the largest seller of EV cars in the world. [upbeat music] You can find their factory in Brazil, their buses on the streets of London, their dealerships in Morocco or Mexico. Despite being effectively shut out of the American market, China has quietly become the global powerhouse of EV production, leading the industry in technology, innovation and scale. From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid, and today on The Global Story, has America lost the EV race?
Unknown speaker1:26
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