INDEX / DIRECTORY / BYD / MILITARY

BYD MILITARY

MILITARY AUDIT UPDATED 2026-09-01
Military Score 0.76 /10 D BYD - BDS-1000 350
Military 0.76

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BYD - Military Audit

Entity Scope: BYD Company Limited is the relevant listed parent and operating-group entity for this audit; its 2024 annual report identifies Wang Chuanfu as a director and president with a reported 17.65% beneficial holding as at 31 December 2024, while BYD’s current biography identifies him as chairman and CEO.1, 2 BYD Electronic (International) Company Limited is an operationally integrated listed group company in which BYD indirectly held approximately 65.76% as at 31 December 2024.3 no public evidence identified in the bounded research of Israeli defence-industry directorships, Israeli defence-prime equity, military-fund donations, or public co-belligerency statements by Wang Chuanfu, Lv Xiangyang, Xia Zuoquan, or the publicly identified BYD executive leadership.1, 4, 2

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

No public evidence identified of a completed BYD Company Limited contract, IMOD/IDF award, signed procurement instrument, purchase order, delivery certificate, acceptance record, or memorandum of understanding for BYD Atto 3 vehicles or other defence-purpose supply.5, 6, 7, 8, 9 A procurement-related process is publicly reported: in December 2023, Shlomo Motors submitted BYD Atto 3 and Dolphin offers in Government Vehicle Administration Tender/Competition No. 18, which reportedly covered “tens” of EVs potentially intended for the Israel Prison Service, Fire and Rescue Authority, Ministry of Defense, and other government or security units.9 That reporting establishes tender participation by Shlomo Motors, not an award, executed contract, accepted unit quantity, price, or allocation to a named security end user.9

The documented trajectory otherwise runs toward suspension or non-exercise of a proposed officer-vehicle arrangement.5, 6, 7, 10 Walla reported that lieutenant-colonels in staff or rear-area roles had been offered, or were being offered, the Atto 3 as a possible civilian leased service vehicle, while the Ministry of Defense reportedly decided in January 2025 not to exercise an EV-leasing option under the relevant personal-vehicle tender.11, 10 The reporting does not establish that a vehicle was delivered, accepted, registered to the IDF, or used by an officer.11, 10

The MOD’s official 23 February 2025 announcement for a separate four-year leasing award names Eldan and Perry/Frey and selected Škoda, Kia and Opel models; it does not name BYD, Shlomo Motors, or the Atto 3.8 no public evidence identified of a later BYD or Atto 3 re-award or activation.8, 10

BYD appointed Shlomo Motors as its national Israeli passenger-vehicle distributor in 2022, with responsibility for marketing, sales, aftersales, and service support, and stated that the parties already had a commercial electric-bus relationship of more than a decade.12 A BYD warranty document identifies Shlomo Motors Ltd., Petah Tikva, as the Israel contact.13 A 2026 Tel Aviv Stock Exchange disclosure describes a local Shlomo Motors/Champion Motors arrangement for BYD imports, but does not identify its registered legal entity, ownership shares, or a defence contract.14 no public evidence identified of a direct BYD Company Limited–IMOD contract, a signed Shlomo Motors–IMOD Atto 3 contract, or a named lessor for the reported lieutenant-colonel option.8, 9, 10

No public evidence identified of BYD appearing in Israel’s SIBAT Defence and HLS Directory, which is limited to Israeli defence-industry exporters rather than foreign civilian OEMs.15 Israel Police previously operated BYD passenger vehicles in its general, non-defence-grade fleet before reportedly deciding to phase out Chinese-made vehicles.16 Mekorot and the Israel Electric Corporation, both critical-infrastructure rather than defence bodies, also operate fleets including BYD vehicles, while their Chinese-vehicle policies were reported as under review.16

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

No public evidence identified of BYD manufacturing or marketing ruggedised, tactical, mil-spec, or contract-modified variants for Israeli security forces.15, 17, 11, 9, 10 The Atto 3 was reported in an ordinary civilian personal-vehicle leasing context, not as a weapons-system or tactical-vehicle acquisition.11, 10 Identified Israel-market BYD products - the Atto 3, Seal, forthcoming Shark 6 pickup, and electric buses - are standard civilian or commercial-market models.15, 18, 17

No public evidence identified of a number of Atto 3 vehicles physically delivered to, formally accepted by, registered to, or actually used by IDF officers.11, 10 Secondary reporting that planned Atto 3s did not enter service after electronics checks does not provide a primary procurement record, quantity, supplier, acceptance date, or evidence that any vehicle physically received by the IDF was a BYD.6, 7, 19 The later collection of approximately 600 leased vehicles concerned Chery vehicles, not BYD Atto 3s.20, 19

The export-control pattern is inverted in this case: Israeli authorities imposed import-side and base-access restrictions on Chinese-made vehicles, including BYD models, on cybersecurity and counter-espionage grounds rather than through BYD export licences or end-use controls.5, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 no public evidence identified of BYD end-user certificates, export-licence applications, or export-control approvals specific to an Israeli military or security end user.27, 28, 9

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

No public evidence identified of BYD forklifts, trucks, or construction/heavy-duty equipment being reported, photographed, or documented by NGOs or UN bodies in West Bank settlement construction, demolitions, separation-barrier works, or military-installation contexts.29, 30, 17 BYD heavy-duty product lines, including electric forklifts, dump trucks, mixer trucks, and Class 8 refuse trucks, exist as global commercial categories, but no Israel- or OPT-specific deployment evidence for those categories was located.17

No public evidence identified of a BYD or authorised BYD dealer/showroom in a West Bank settlement, industrial zone, or the Golan Heights; the identified Shlomo Motors/BYD showrooms are in Petach Tikva, Haifa, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, Bnei Brak, and Nazareth.15 no public evidence identified of BYD holding construction or engineering contracts for checkpoints, detention facilities, military bases, the separation barrier, or settlement infrastructure.29, 30, 31

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

Elbit Systems’ approximately 4,400-vehicle corporate fleet reportedly included some BYD and Geely vehicles as of 11 June 2026.32, 33 The documented relationship is a corporate leasing-fleet presence, not a components, sub-systems, weapons-platform, or manufacturing-supply relationship.32, 33, 34, 35 Elbit’s BYD-only vehicle count, models, supplier or lessor, contract values, lease start dates, locations, and allocation by employee category were not publicly identified.32, 33, 34, 35

Reporting states that, initially, dozens of Chinese-made vehicles assigned to company executives would be replaced as leasing contracts expire, with the phase-out continuing for months and into 2027.32, 33, 34, 35 “Dozens” refers collectively to Chinese-made executive-assigned vehicles and cannot be attributed specifically to BYD.32, 33 no public evidence identified of BYD vehicles being used for Elbit operational, weapons-production, or non-executive functions.32, 33, 34, 35

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reportedly gradually removed Chery vehicles from its fleet and replaced them with non-Chinese models; BYD was not named in the located reporting concerning Rafael.16 no public evidence identified of BYD supplying components, sub-systems, raw materials, or specialist manufacturing services to Elbit, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, or IMI for weapons or platform production.32, 33, 34, 35 no public evidence identified of joint development, co-production, or technology-transfer/licensed-manufacturing agreements between BYD and an Israeli defence firm.32, 33

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

No public evidence identified of BYD providing catering, transport-as-a-service, fuel supply, waste management, facilities maintenance, telecommunications, shipping, freight-forwarding, or port-handling services to IDF bases, detention centres, or other Israeli security installations.12, 18, 9 BYD’s identified Israeli commercial-vehicle activity is civilian public transportation: a 100-bus electric-bus order for Egged, a 17-bus Haifa order, Jerusalem orders for ten and seven e-buses, and a Dan Bus Company framework for up to 700 e-buses in Tel Aviv.36, 18, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

Commercial shipping of BYD vehicles and buses through Israeli civilian ports serves the passenger-car and bus business and is documented as routine commercial import activity rather than military logistics.12, 18 Egged Ta’avura operates routes serving West Bank settlements, including Gush Etzion, Giva’at Ze’ev, Binyamin, Mount Hebron, Kiryat Arba, the Jordan Valley, Shiloh, Otniel, and Ma’ale Adumim.43 no public evidence identified that BYD-manufactured buses, rather than Egged’s broader fleet, are assigned to those settlement routes.18, 40, 41, 43 BYD e-buses are documented in Haifa and Jerusalem, but route-level evidence establishing service in East Jerusalem areas considered settlements under international law was not located.18, 40, 41

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

No public evidence identified of BYD acting as prime contractor or licensed manufacturer of small arms, artillery, armoured vehicles, tactical drones, naval vessels, or other lethal platforms for Israeli forces.32, 29, 30, 33 no public evidence identified of BYD supplying ammunition, explosive ordnance, chemical propellants, warhead components, or munitions precursor materials to an Israeli defence end user.32, 33

No public evidence identified of BYD manufacture, integration, maintenance, or component supply for Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, warships, or ballistic-missile systems.32, 33 no public evidence identified of BYD supplying guidance electronics, fire-control systems, radar components, propulsion units, or warhead casings to Israeli strategic systems.32, 33

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

BYD was added with Alibaba and Baidu to the US Department of Defense Section 1260H list of Chinese Military Companies operating in the United States on 8–9 June 2026.27, 44, 45, 46 The designation identifies BYD as a military-civil-fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base and, as reported, bars direct DoD contracting from June 2026 and indirect procurement from June 2027.27, 44, 45, 46 BYD stated in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing that there was “no justification” for the listing.27 This is a US-China designation rather than an Israel-specific arms or export action, although Israeli reporting cited it as a factor in subsequent institutional decisions concerning Chinese vehicles.32

In Israel, the reported lieutenant-colonel Atto 3 leasing option was not exercised, and the MOD subsequently announced a four-year leasing award naming Eldan and Perry/Frey and selected Škoda, Kia and Opel models rather than BYD.8, 10 The IDF reportedly restricted Chinese-made vehicles from bases, first at a C4I Corps/Gideonim Communications base near Tzrifin and later across bases; reporting included an Atto 3 image but did not establish IDF ownership or operational use of that vehicle.5, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 The approximately 600-vehicle removal action reported in November 2025 applied to Chery leased vehicles and should not be attributed to BYD.20, 19

The UK Ministry of Defence also restricted Chinese-made EVs, including BYD, from sensitive military sites such as RAF Wyton from April 2025, citing espionage concerns in reporting described as parallel to, rather than directly connected with, Israeli policy.28 A reported class-action claim against BYD and importer Shlomo Motors sought NIS 300 million, alleging inadequate disclosure of collection and transfer of driver data abroad under Israeli privacy law; the underlying court filing was not independently located, so the allegations remain unverified.47 no public evidence identified of an arms-embargo or sanctions-compliance enforcement action specifically concerning BYD defence trade with Israel.27, 46

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

OHCHR’s 2023 full-text update of its database of business enterprises, maintained under Human Rights Council resolutions 31/36 and 53/25, contains no reference to BYD, BYD Auto, or BYD Company in the listed activity categories.29, 30 no public evidence identified in the reviewed document scope of BYD appearing in the 2025 OHCHR database update, A/HRC/59/23, PAX’s June 2024 report, Al-Haq’s July 2024 report, or the specified Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, BankTrack, BDS, KLP, and Who Profits materials.29, 30, 48, 31 These are document-scoped absences and do not establish that no other publication exists.29, 30, 48, 31

Who Profits’ public company-database interface was accessible, but the live retrieval did not independently expose a BYD search result; the prior database-query result of no BYD company profile remains the applicable, limited finding.31 no public evidence identified of a Who Profits, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, AFSC, PAX, Al-Haq, SOMO, or BankTrack investigation specifically addressing BYD’s military, security, or dual-use supply-chain relationship with Israel.29, 30, 48, 31

The World Benchmarking Alliance coverage reported by Carscoops concerning BYD’s general labour, supply-chain, environmental, and human-rights performance did not identify Israel/Palestine-specific content in the located summary.49 BYD’s published Group Human Rights Policy Statement contains general supplier and human-rights commitments, with no Israel/Palestine/occupied-territory-specific content identified.50 no public evidence identified of a BYD corporate statement, contract termination, or end-use-monitoring commitment issued in response to Israel/Palestine-related civil-society pressure.27, 50

Wang Chuanfu visited Israel in late August 2023 as a guest of Shlomo Motors, before 7 October 2023; no public statement by him specifically addressing Israel, Gaza, or the subsequent war was located.51, 2 BYD and Shlomo Motors continued commercial promotional activity after 7 October 2023, including a December 2024 Maccabi Tel Aviv sleeve-sponsorship arrangement.52, 53 BYD retained the number-one EV-selling and number-five overall brand positions in Israel through full-year 2024 and into 2025, according to the cited market report.54 no public evidence identified that this commercial activity was accompanied by a documented NGO or shareholder call for BYD to cease Israeli operations; the identified Israel-focused scrutiny concerns Chinese-state espionage and data-security risks rather than occupation- or Gaza-war complicity.5, 16, 21, 22, 32

Footnotes

  1. https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2025/0324/2025032401238.pdf ↩ ↩2

  2. https://media.byd.com/wang-chuanfu/?lang=eng ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2025/0424/2025042402029.pdf ↩

  4. https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0327/2026032703009_c.pdf ↩

  5. https://dev.ua/en/news/izrail-banyt-kytaiski-avto-za-dopytlyvist-1751887153 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/s1ea3albeg ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/chinese-electric-cars-in-israel-found-to-be-transmitting-data-to-china/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. https://mod.gov.il/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%98%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9F/%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%A8%D7%96-%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%A2-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%98%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%92%D7%A3-%D7%94%D7%98%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%95%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%90-%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%9A ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  9. https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/car/article/s1wmvoos6 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  10. https://cars.walla.co.il/item/3719442 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  11. https://cars.walla.co.il/item/3712465 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  12. https://www.byd.com/eu/news-list/BYD-Appoints-Shlomo-Motors-as-Distributor-for-New-Energy-Passenger-Vehicles-in-Israel ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. https://www.byd.com/content/dam/byd-site/eu/support/service/warranty/20250610lv/BYD%20SEAL%20IEROBE%C5%BDOT%C4%80S%20GARANTIJAS%20ROKASGR%C4%80MATA-lv-LV.pdf ↩

  14. https://mayafiles.tase.co.il/rpdf/1733001-1734000/P1733108-00.pdf ↩

  15. https://bydeurope.com/article/429 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  16. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjx113iufmg ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  17. https://www.jpost.com/consumerism/article-888563 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  18. https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/israel-largest-electric-bus-order-byd/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  19. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkv0bxb1wx ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  20. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1yezyfrxg ↩ ↩2

  21. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/y880aq7z6 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  22. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkv0bxb1wx ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  23. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/01/22/israel-bans-chinese-vehicles-from-military-bases-citing-espionage-fears/ ↩ ↩2

  24. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-11-02/ty-article/.premium/idf-drops-chinese-cars-switches-to-japans-mitsubishi-fleet/0000019a-45ac-d21b-a7db-edfe90400000 ↩ ↩2

  25. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/412797 ↩ ↩2

  26. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/y880aq7z6 ↩ ↩2

  27. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/09/alibaba-baidu-byd-named-on-pentagons-china-military-list-.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  28. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/366599/chinese-evs-banned-uk-military-sites-over-spying-concerns ↩ ↩2

  29. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  30. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-human-rights-office-updates-database-businesses-involved-israeli ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  31. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/all ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  32. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/c6qb9psk1 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14

  33. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/c6qb9psk1 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  34. https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/car/article/sjwzlwsggg ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  35. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-Elbit-Systems-bars-Chinese-models-from-vehicle-fleet-1001545738 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  36. https://en.byd.com/news/byd-secures-landmark-electric-bus-order-for-israel/ ↩

  37. https://www.electrive.com/2021/11/29/100-byd-electric-buses-bound-for-israel/ ↩

  38. https://www.bydeurope.com/article/401 ↩

  39. https://www.bydeurope.com/article/234 ↩

  40. https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/jerusalem-receives-ten-electric-buses-the-second-time-of-byd-in-israel/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  41. https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/byd-second-order-electric-buses-israel-jerusalem/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  42. https://www.timesofisrael.com/tel-aviv-to-get-electric-bus-fleet/ ↩

  43. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egged_Ta%27avura ↩ ↩2

  44. https://www.kharon.com/brief/us-china-1260-list-alibaba-baidu-byd-defense-department ↩ ↩2

  45. https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20260611-pentagon-adds-65-new-entities-to-the-1260h-list-of-chinese-military-companies ↩ ↩2

  46. https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jun/08/2003945537/-1/-1/1/ENTITIES-IDENTIFIED-AS-CHINESE-MILITARY-COMPANIES-OPERATING-IN-THE-UNITED-STATES-IN-ACCORDANCE-WITH-SECTION-1260H.PDF ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  47. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ujxpwqu5y ↩

  48. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  49. https://www.carscoops.com/2024/11/byd-is-a-human-rights-villain-new-study-claims/ ↩

  50. https://cv.byd.com/content/dam/commercial-vehicle-cms/report/Human%20Rights%20Policy%20Statement.pdf ↩ ↩2

  51. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-chinas-byd-chairman-wang-chuanfu-visits-israel-1001457388 ↩

  52. https://www.maccabi-tlv.co.il/en/2024/12/maccabi-and-the-importer-of-byd-vehicles-to-israel-sign-sponsorship-deal/ ↩

  53. https://english.news.cn/20241203/ddeac33a5d1f4326af5402db01600eb9/c.html ↩

  54. https://bestsellingcarsblog.com/2025/01/israel-full-year-2024-byd-atto-3-repeats-at-1-chinese-at-18-5-share/ ↩