--- title: "Those Headlines About Tesla Losing the Top EV Seller Spot Are Pretty Sketchy" description: "Apples to Oranges Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD has had a stellar year — and if the headlines of mainstream news outlets like the Financial Times and Axios are to be believed, the company just overtook Tesla as the world's number one electric vehicle seller. But a closer look at BYD's company filings reveals that […]" date: "2022-07-06" modified: "2022-07-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/headlines-tesla-top-ev-sketchy" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "electric vehicles" - "evs" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Those Headlines About Tesla Losing the Top EV Seller Spot Are Pretty Sketchy ![Is Chinese automaker BYD really the number one EV maker in the world? The company still produced far fewer all-electric vehicles than Tesla.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD has had a stellar year — and if the headlines of news outlets like the [*Financial Times*]() and [*Axios*]() are to be believed, the company just overtook Tesla as the world's number one electric vehicle seller. But a closer look at [BYD's company filings]() reveals that it isn't nearly that cut and dried. Specifically, BYD is making strides on hybrid vehicles, but Tesla still has a significant upper hand when it comes to all-electric vehicle sales — which, realistically, is what most people are thinking of when they hear about "electric vehicles." BYD boosted sales by an incredible 325 percent so far this year compared to the same time period last year, selling 638,157 electric or plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles since the start of the year. Meanwhile, Tesla delivered only 564,743 vehicles over the first two quarters of this year, as *Axios* reports, well short of BYD's figures. But that isn't really be a fair comparison. Tesla isn't in the business of selling plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles like BYD. The Elon Musk-led company has focused all its efforts on leapfrogging combustion engine technology by producing only all-electric vehicles. That means, if we were to compare apples to apples, BYD sold 323,519 "battery electric vehicles" so far this year, meaning that Tesla is still selling almost twice as many BEVs as the Chinese manufacturer. It's not just a matter of semantics. In terms of production, there are notable differences between the two types of vehicles. A typical plugin battery is substantially smaller than an all-electric battery, sometimes at just a [tenth the size](). That means the number of cells needed is also drastically different. And if there's one thing we've learned, one of the biggest hurdles in producing purely electric vehicles is securing enough materials and production capacity to make these gigantic battery packs. The price of lithium [is also skyrocketing right now](), making it even more difficult. In short, Tesla clearly still has the upper hand in terms of battery production on a global scale — despite [COVID-19 related lockdowns]() and [supply chain woes](). So while the headlines aren't factually incorrect — plug-in hybrids are still technically electric, and can be a fuel efficient alternative to gas guzzlers — they're also somewhat misleading. Given BYD's massive year-over-year growth, though, it's clearly a company to keep an eye on. **READ MORE:** [Tesla is no longer the world's largest EV producer]() \[*Axios*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Glitch in 59,000 Teslas Fails to Call 911 When You Crash]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()