BYD is also going to play with robots

Author | Wang Xiaojun

Editor | Chai Xuchen

Another major automotive company has entered the field of humanoid robots.

Recently, BYD pushed recruitment information for the 2025 cohort of the embodied intelligence research team on its official WeChat account. The recruitment is for members of the embodied intelligence research team, with positions including senior algorithm engineer, senior structural engineer, senior simulation engineer, etc., focusing on research areas such as humanoid robots and bipedal robots.

This recruitment announcement by BYD is, to some extent, an official declaration of its entry into the humanoid robot field. BYD stated that the team has currently developed processes, intelligent collaboration, intelligent mobility, and humanoid robot products.

BYD is one of the automotive companies that has reaped the most benefits in the era of electrification, and in the era of intelligence, BYD has been in the role of a follower. Since last year, BYD has been investing heavily in talent and resources to catch up in intelligence. Now, with monthly sales of 500,000 vehicles, BYD has the capability to extend its intelligence in more directions, with humanoid robots being one of them.

At the press conference for BYD's 30th anniversary and the rollout of its 10 millionth new energy vehicle on November 18, BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu stated that the company will invest 100 billion yuan in the future to develop intelligent technologies that combine artificial intelligence and automobiles, achieving comprehensive intelligence upgrades for vehicles.

In previous financial reports, BYD also stated that it will continue to invest in research and development for new products and actively cultivate new businesses, improving its layout in areas such as AIDC and industrial robots.

In addition to entering the field itself, BYD has also invested in several companies focused on embodied robots. For example, UBTECH, known as the "first stock of humanoid robots" in China, received investment from BYD during its early establishment.

Another more well-known investment is in Zhiyuan Robotics, founded by the genius entrepreneur "Zhi Hui Jun" — Peng Zhihui, who came from Huawei. In August last year, BYD invested 1.91497 million yuan to acquire 2.5074% of the shares.

To some extent, the layout of humanoid robots is another aspect of BYD's efforts to enhance intelligence from the perspective of intelligent manufacturing. Nowadays, intelligence is not only "competing" in the vehicles themselves but also includes the intelligence in the vehicle manufacturing process.

In recent years, many automotive companies have emphasized the level of intelligence in their manufacturing processes. Previously, when the delivery cycle of Xiaomi's SU7 was relatively long, netizens joked about Lei Jun going to the factory to tighten screws. Lei Jun then introduced that robots are used for tightening screws. In the body workshop, there are 400 robots, with an automation rate of 91%.

The intelligent manufacturing process is also an area where BYD needs to catch up.

In BYD's manufacturing DNA, the "human sea tactic" is one of the important success factors. When it first entered the automotive field, it decomposed automated production lines into processes completed by humans and simple machines, thereby reducing costs, which also led to a significant increase in BYD's workforce, which still exceeds 900,000 today.

In the future, labor costs will inevitably be higher, but the marginal cost of machinery is decreasing. BYD also needs to achieve cost reduction through higher levels of intelligence; especially at a time when the entire industry is emphasizing intelligent manufacturing, BYD needs to catch up in this regard, and humanoid robots are an important aspect of this Currently, BYD has also introduced humanoid robots in its factories, with the partner being UBTECH, which BYD invested in previously.

In October of this year, UBTECH launched its new generation industrial humanoid robot, Walker S1, which has successfully entered BYD's automotive factory for practical training, working in collaboration with L4 level unmanned logistics vehicles, unmanned forklifts, industrial mobile robots, and intelligent manufacturing management systems.

In addition to BYD, several other automotive companies have also ventured into the humanoid robot field.

According to a video released by Tesla, Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, began working in factories in May of this year, capable of sorting batteries and correcting its own mistakes during work.

Domestically, XPeng, GAC, and others also have humanoid robot projects.

XPeng's humanoid robot was officially named Iron at this year's XPeng Technology Day. It features a bionic structure, is equipped with the XPeng AI Eagle Eye vision system, can walk naturally, supports conversation, and has already begun working in XPeng's factory.

GAC recently showcased its self-developed second-generation humanoid intelligent robot for the first time, with research now entering the third generation.

For automotive companies entering the humanoid robot space, in the short term, humanoid robots can make the overall lifecycle of a vehicle more intelligent, capable of tasks like screwing in factories and entering sales scenarios.

In the long term, humanoid robots are expected to become a new growth curve for automotive companies. For example, robots can replace humans in rescue operations in dangerous scenarios and can also enter home environments to care for the elderly. As XPeng Chairman He Xiaopeng envisions, when one gets old, a robot can change diapers.

Today, competition in the automotive industry is intensifying. Combining their own advantages and extending business into multiple dimensions has become a consensus among many companies. It is reasonable that humanoid robots, as a field closely related to smart cars, have become a focus for automotive companies.

In the future, with the addition of humanoid robots, the "intelligence" of smart cars will have a new definition