JULY 11 • 2024 | 31
J
N

A 

milestone in the robust 
Israeli new-car market 
was reached in April 
when BYD, a Chinese maker of 
battery-powered electric vehi-
cles, became the first EV manu-
facturer to achieve No. 1 status 
in terms of vehicles sold in the 
Jewish state.
The monthly sales tally was 
notable for two reasons: first, 
EVs are becoming more and 
more prominent on Israeli road-
ways; second, China — Israel’s 
second-leading trade partner 
after the U.S. — is forging 
ahead of EV makers from other 
countries. 
The Chinese government 
clearly intends to be No. 1 in 
EVs worldwide. The dominance 
of Chinese EVs in Israel, a 
Western-style democracy with 
decidedly American tastes, 
could well be a harbinger for the 
automotive future of the U.S. 
and the European Union.
Worth noting as EVs gain 
in popularity comes a word of 
caution from an expert in the 
field. Michael Granoff, founder 
of Maniv Mobility, a Tel Aviv 
venture capital firm based in 
Tel Aviv, says cars built by the 
Chinese could pose an addition-
al security threat to an embat-
tled country.
“These vehicles are more 
than just cars — they are highly 
sophisticated electronic devices. 
In many ways, they share more 
DNA with your smartphone 
than with traditional cars,” 

Granoff said. Modern vehicles, 
not just EVs from China, are 
crammed with cameras, sen-
sors and other data collection 
devices. 
Collected data determines a 
vehicle’s location, users’ prefer-
ences, driving habits and other 
information — all of which 
may be transmitted over the air 
to the manufacturer. The most 
up-to-date vehicles also can 
receive data, meaning that they 
could be potentially disabled by 
hackers or by a hostile govern-
ment.
Granoff, previously associated 
with now-defunct Israeli EV 
maker Better Place, mentioned 
that he had visited his daugh-
ter at her Israeli military base; 
he was asked to surrender his 
cellphone for security reasons. 
But he was allowed to drive his 
car inside the perimeter; parked 
next to him was a Chinese-
made Geely Geometry.
In the U.S., President Joe 
Biden in May quadrupled tariffs 

on imported Chinese-made 
vehicles in what was seen as a 
protectionist move on behalf 
of U.S.-based automakers. The 
president also mentioned pro-
tecting “national security.” U.S. 
lawmakers also voiced concerns 
about Chinese cars potentially 
being used to spy or hack infor-
mation networks.
“Thousands of Chinese-
made, connected vehicles com-
ing into the country would give 
[the Chinese] a huge amount 
of data — high-fidelity data on 
things like U.S. military bases, 
key infrastructure facilities, like 
bridges and electric grid nodes, 
secretive locations, individual 
leaders,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin 
(D-Lansing) in remarks on the 
House floor in early May.
Notwithstanding these wor-
ries — possibly overblown — 
Israeli consumers are flocking to 

a variety of affordable EV mod-
els, from China and elsewhere. 
The first Chinese EVs entered 
the country just two years ago, 
benefitting from sales taxes that 
were pegged significantly lower 
than those on cars with inter-
nal combustion engines as an 
incentive to consumers. BYD, 
Geely and others joined Tesla, 
another popular EV brand, and 
others such as Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 
from South Korea.
BYD, which stands for Build 
Your Dreams, is a publicly 
owned Chinese company that 
years ago caught the eye of 
Warren Buffett. His company, 
Berkshire Hathaway, currently 
owns a roughly 8% stake. He 
bought the shares in 2008 for 
$232 million; analysts say the 
stake is now worth about $3 
billion.
Israeli owners of EVs say 
they enjoy the quiet ride, stylish 
design, lower maintenance costs 
— at least initially — of Chinese 
EV models, not to mention 
liberation from Israel’s highly 
priced gasoline, which sells for 
approximately $8 a gallon. 
As in the U.S., construction 
of charging stations struggles 
to keep up with rising demand. 
In the wake of Oct. 7’s invasion 
from Gaza, Tesla announced 
free charging at all 22 of its sta-
tions in the country. 

In Israel, BYD’s 
Electric Cars 
Are a Big Deal

EVs are becoming more common 
on Israeli roads.

DORON LEVIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ERETZ

DORON LEVIN

Top-Selling Israel Car Brands in 2023

BYD Atto 3, Israel’s 
most popular battery-
powered electric, in Ramat 
HaSharon 

