BYD has been a solar manufacturer for longer than it has been a serious carmaker outside China, and in Brazil it has begun selling the two through the same shop. Car dealerships now sell rooftop photovoltaic kits, installation included, to anyone.
Affected#
Nobody outside Brazil. There is no equivalent offer in Europe or Morocco, and none has been announced.
It is worth recording because of what it tests: whether a car dealer network can sell home energy hardware. If it works, it is the most plausible route by which home solar and vehicle-to-load features arrive as one purchase rather than two.
Confirmed#
| Kit | eight 600 W panels, 4.8 kWp installed |
| Also included | inverter, mounting, cabling, connectors |
| Output | about 600 kWh a month in standard conditions |
| Price | 19,000 reais, about $3,800 |
| Sold at | 233 BYD dealerships in Brazil |
| Panels made at | BYD’s plant in Campinas, São Paulo |
One contract covers installation, grid certification with the distributor and a year of insurance. A BYD car is not required — BYD states the kits are available whether or not the buyer owns one. Buyers of the Song Pro Flex are offered 512 reais a month for 36 months at zero interest through Banco Santander.
Unconfirmed#
- Any other market. Nothing has been said about selling kits this way outside Brazil.
- What 600 kWh a month means where you live. That figure is for Brazilian irradiance in standard conditions. The same array in northern Europe would produce substantially less, and BYD has published no per-market estimate.
- Whether it connects to the car. No vehicle-to-home or vehicle-to-load integration is described. This is a grid-tied solar kit sold in the same building as the cars.
- Warranty terms. One year of insurance is stated. Panel and inverter warranties are not.