Technological Independence And Domestic Value Added Of Chinese Electric Vehicles

This study analyzes the supply chains, technological independence and domestic value added (DVA) of the Chinese EV industry by tearing down two popular models: the BYD Seal and the Tesla Model 3. It is the first study to use teardown data for two representative EV models to estimate the distribution of the value added in China EVs and the tasks performed by the makers’ suppliers. We find that 92% of BYD’s suppliers are in China and 65% of them are Chinese domestic firms, which produced 82% of the parts and components embedded in the BYD Seal. The localization of Tesla Shanghai’s supply chains is even higher, with more than 96% of Tesla Shanghai's suppliers in China, and 62 local Chinese firms participating in the supply chains to produce almost half of the parts and components in Model 3. 90% of the BYD Seal’s retail price is DVA generated in China, while only 45% of the total value of the Model 3 manufactured at the Shanghai factory is attributed to China. The extensive participation of Chinese firms in supply chains BYD and Tesla implies that the Chinese EV industry has achieved technological independence in the sector. However, foreign firms remain dominant in the supply of semiconductor chips: 97% of the chips used in the Model 3 are either imported or manufactured by wholly foreign owned ventures, while more than 50% of the semiconductor chips used in the BYD Seal are procured from foreign suppliers.