It looks like a normal cargo ship. It could change Australia’s future

The biggest ever shipment of electric vehicles to Australia has docked in Melbourne, as demand continues to reach record-highs amid the war in the Middle East.

On board the BYD Zhengzhou ship were 5000 Chinese electric vehicles, making it the largest single EV shipment ever delivered to Australia.

The purpose-built car carrier arrived straight from Shanghai, just as new data from the NRMA found insurance quote requests for EVs have surged 95 per cent this year and 60 per cent from last May.

Data from Pickles also showed buyer demand has stayed at about 46 per cent higher than in February – before the war in Iran began – and clearance rates have remained at about 70 per cent, even with the increase in production.

“BYD have basically solved the supply chain issue, they basically bought their own boats,” Drive content director James Ward said.

 “You’ve got a very fast turnaround capability from order to production to arrival of vehicles that kind of can’t be surpassed by anyone now.”

Earlier this year, China ended Japan’s 28-year run as the number one Australian vehicle importer.

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BYD is now the second most popular new car brand in Australia, sitting right behind Toyota. This comes as one in every six new vehicles recently sold in the country is electric.

The car manufacturer says it has more engineers than any other car brand, with 120,000 staff in its research and development team, meaning it can deliver cars at a rapid speed.

“Most of these cars were sold 10 to 12 weeks ago, so I think that’s a record turnaround for any car company,” BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said.

The company is now looking to tackle a new market with its incoming luxury brand, Denza.

“We get the state-of-the-art technology as well as that luxury and premium finish,” Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland said.