BYD's 1,000-PS Electric Semi Lands in Europe the Same Week as Tesla's

BYD picked the week — and the show floor — of Tesla's European Semi launch to unveil a long-haul electric truck of its own. The ETT 44, revealed September 14 at IAA Transportation in Hannover, is the company's first heavy tractor for Europe, with a system peak of up to 986 hp (1,000 PS), a 651-kWh Blade Battery, and a charging claim Tesla hasn't made for its European truck: 1.5 megawatts.

The 4x2 tractor tops a BYD commercial lineup that now stretches from 3.5 to 44 tonnes, and it arrives with unusually complete numbers for a show debut. Rated drive power is 733 hp (743 PS), with 986 hp quoted as a peak. The LFP pack runs at a nominal 851.2 volts and charges two ways: over CCS2 at up to 420 kW, good for a 20-to-80-percent charge in an hour or less, or over an MCS megawatt connector at 1.5 MW and up, which BYD says cuts the same charge to 20 minutes and adds up to 248 miles (399 km) of range.

Range is the one number BYD is hedging on. The launch materials claim up to 372 miles (599 km), but the truck's own specification table lists driving range as "TBC." Until a certified figure lands, 372 miles is a company claim, not a rating.

The rest of the spec sheet reads like a bid for fleet buyers' spreadsheets: a high-roof, flat-floor sleeper cab, air suspension at both axles, a full ADAS suite, and a 12.8-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Curb weight is 24,140 to 24,560 pounds (10,950–11,140 kg), gross combination weight is 44 tonnes (97,000 pounds), and top speed is capped at 56 mph, the regulated limit for heavy trucks in Europe. The Blade Battery carries a 10-year, 1.2-million-kilometer (roughly 746,000-mile) warranty as standard — coverage BYD says goes well beyond the six-to-eight-year battery warranties typical of the European market.

"Less time charging. More time on the road," said Stella Li, BYD's executive vice president, who added that the FLASH Charging technology behind the megawatt figure comes straight from the company's passenger cars.

What BYD Named, and What Tesla Has Named

The comparison everyone in Hannover will make is with the Tesla Semi, which is having its European coming-out at the same show. Set the two spec sheets side by side, and the honest version has gaps in both columns:

• Battery: BYD names 651 kWh of LFP capacity. Tesla hasn't published a pack size for the European Semi.
• Peak power: Tesla leads on paper, quoting up to 1,072 hp (800 kW) against the ETT 44's 986 hp.
• Range: BYD claims up to 372 miles but marks the spec TBC. Tesla estimates about 342 miles (550 km) at 40 tonnes, with fine print tying the number to speed, temperature, and trailer choice.
• Charging: BYD quotes MCS at 1.5 MW-plus and a 20-minute 20–80 percent charge. Tesla's European truck accepts up to 800 kW, recovering 60 percent of its range in about 30 minutes.
• Curb weight: Tesla again — 20,062 pounds (9,100 kg) against BYD's 24,140-plus, a payload edge of roughly two tons.
• Deliveries: Tesla says European customers get trucks from 2027. BYD hasn't given a date.
• Price: Neither company has named one.

One number worth keeping straight: the 1.2 MW often attached to the Semi belongs to Tesla's Megacharger cabinet and the US-spec truck, while the European Semi's stated ceiling is 800 kW — a figure unrelated to the truck's identical 800-kW drive power. BYD's 1.5-MW claim, meanwhile, assumes a charger that can actually deliver it, and Europe's public megawatt-charging network is still in its infancy.

The incumbent both trucks have to unseat is already working. Mercedes-Benz has been delivering the eActros 600 across Europe with a 621-kWh LFP pack, a 500-kilometer (311-mile) range at 40 tonnes, and CCS charging at up to 400 kW; megawatt charging at around 1 MW is promised once MCS hardware spreads. Against that, BYD is showing a slightly bigger battery, more than triple the charging power the eActros quotes today, and a longer standard battery warranty.

What BYD hasn't said matters just as much: no price, no delivery date, no launch markets, and no certified range. There's also nothing about North America — BYD doesn't sell passenger vehicles in the US, and the ETT 44 is a Europe-first product, so for American readers this truck is a benchmark for the Semi rather than a rival headed for the interstate. IAA runs through September 20; if either company puts a price on the board in Hannover, we'll update this story.