It’s not often that you hear of two Chinese automakers taking shots at each other, but in a rare public accusation, Great Wall Motor has accused BYD of falling foul of China’s emissions standards. BYD, meanwhile, has refuted the claim and has threatened legal action.
The allegations concern two of BYD’s best-selling plug-in hybrid models: the Qin Plus sedan and Song Plus SUV. Great Wall made a statement on the company’s official WeChat account. Although no evidence of their claims was provided, the company says that on April 11, it submitted documents to China’s ecology and environment ministry, the industry and information ministry, and the top market regulator.
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In the complaint, Great Wall alleges that BYD uses non-pressurized fuel tanks in its leading sedan and SUV products. In doing so, the implication is that such gas tanks let the fuel evaporate faster than it would have in the pressurized equivalent.
The issue of pressurized fuel tanks is especially important for PHEVs: gas is designed to sit in the tanks for longer than in a conventional ICE vehicle, as the hybrid system prioritizes electric-only drive. As such, there are regulations in place to limit the amount of fumes that can be emitted, which includes evaporation from a tank.
According to Reuters, BYD has denied the claims made, with the Warren Buffett-backed company stating that Great Wall purchased BYD vehicles and subjected them to tests without third-party regulators. The accused company further refutes Great Wall’s allegations, countering that the tests Great Wall ran were based on longer distances than what is required by China’s regulations.
“We firmly oppose any kind of unfair competitive behavior and reserve the right to sue,” said BYD in a statement. “We hope everyone will act in a way that is beneficial to the industry and Chinese brands. The development of the new energy (vehicle) business has not been easy.”
