INDEX / DIRECTORY / BYD / MILITARY

BYD MILITARY

MILITARY AUDIT UPDATED 2026-06-17
Military Score 1.29 /10 D BYD - BDS-1000 311
Military 1.29

Evidence-only forensic audit. Scoring happens downstream - see the main dossier for the composite assessment.

Military Audit: BYD

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

BYD holds no documented direct procurement contract, tender award, memorandum of understanding, or framework agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defence (IMOD), Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Israel Prison Service, or Israel Border Police 123456. BYD does not appear in SIBAT defence trade directories or IMOD Defence Procurement Directorate (DPD) listings in connection with Israeli state defence contracts 6. BYD holds no confirmed presence in official Israeli defence export directories or international defence exhibition catalogues in connection with Israeli state defence contracts. No public evidence identified; SIBAT directories and IMOD procurement registries were checked via OSINT across all research rounds 6.

IMOD has actively restricted BYD supply to the IDF on security grounds, representing the inverse of a procurement relationship. In July 2025, IMOD officially suspended BYD EV supply to IDF officers, specifically the Atto 3 tender for lieutenant colonels 67. The eCall emergency-call system on already-delivered BYD vehicles was forcibly disabled by IMOD following security reviews 7. In November 2025, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered removal of approximately 700 Chinese-origin vehicles from military bases, and BYD Atto 3 deliveries to IDF lieutenant colonels were explicitly suspended as part of this order 6. By 2026, the IDF extended restrictions to all Chinese EVs at all bases, citing vehicle cameras, microphones, sensors, and communication modules as espionage vectors, and Shin Bet and Israeli defence firms including Elbit Systems are also restricting Chinese EVs 568.

BYD vehicles sold in Israel are distributed exclusively through Shlomo Motors, which was appointed as BYD’s official distributor for new energy passenger vehicles in Israel in August 2022 1. BYD vehicles are not listed in any IDF-approved vehicle procurement catalogue or emergency procurement waiver list 6.

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

BYD manufactures no confirmed mil-spec, ruggedised, or tactical-variant product line marketed to Israeli security forces 123456. BYD manufactures and exports standard civilian electric passenger vehicles including the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, and Atto 2 DM-i PHEV, as well as electric buses (12m eBus with 422 kWh iron-phosphate battery), to Israel via Shlomo Motors 1239. BYD’s first passenger vehicle shipment arrived at Port of Eilat in southern Israel in Q3 2022 10.

BYD’s Blade Battery (lithium iron phosphate) is marketed for commercial and utility-scale stationary BESS, telecom infrastructure, and vehicle-to-grid applications globally; no confirmed Israeli military installation procurement of BYD stationary battery systems has been identified. No public evidence identified; the BYD annual report was not reviewed for Israeli subsidiary disclosures 611.

BYD vehicles sold in Israel contain standard telematics hardware including GPS, 4G/5G connectivity, cameras, and sensors consistent with consumer electric vehicles globally 568. IMOD has cited these systems as potential espionage vectors, but no evidence confirms that BYD marketed or configured these systems as purpose-built for military use 568. BYD has no confirmed export licence applications, end-user certificates, or government export control reviews publicly disclosed in connection with Israeli military or security end-users. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches of U.S., EU, and Israeli export licence databases returned no results 6.

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

BYD vehicles are sold through Shlomo Motors, which maintains 38 confirmed branches in six Israeli cities: Petah Tikva, Haifa, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, Bnei Brak, and Nazareth 11213. No Shlomo Motors branch has been confirmed in West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem settlement commercial zones, or the Golan Heights 1213. BYD holds no documented role as prime contractor or direct supplier for construction, maintenance, or expansion of checkpoints, detention facilities, military bases, the separation barrier, or settlement infrastructure in occupied territories. No public evidence identified; Who Profits, AFSC, and settlement infrastructure databases were checked 141516.

BYD eBuses operate exclusively in Israeli cities, including 17 units in Haifa since 2017 and 17 units in Jerusalem across 2018–2019, as well as in Tel Aviv, Modin, and Sharon 2317. BYD eBuses are not used on Egged Taavura settlement bus routes, which exclusively use Mercedes and Volvo vehicles 14. BYD eBuses operate on Egged Route 15 within Jerusalem’s expanded municipal boundary, which includes neighbourhoods of settlement character including Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Ze’ev, French Hill, and Ramot; however, whether BYD buses specifically serve these neighbourhoods has not been confirmed. No public evidence identified; a source gap remains on route-level service confirmation 1718.

An indirect settlement-adjacent link exists via Afcon Holdings, a Shlomo Group subsidiary that operates EV charging stations in West Bank settlements Karnei Shomron and Beitar Ilit, and in the Golan Heights settlement of Katzrin 1516. BYD vehicles use the GB/T charging standard, which is compatible with stations operated by Afcon; however, the charging infrastructure is operated by Afcon, not BYD, and whether BYD vehicles are specifically served at these stations is not confirmed 1516. BYD vehicles were found to be transmitting data to servers in China, raising data sovereignty concerns for Israeli defence and civilian infrastructure 7.

BYD has not been documented in the construction, logistics, or maintenance of Israeli military or settlement infrastructure in occupied territories. No public evidence identified; Who Profits, AFSC, DBIO, and settlement infrastructure databases were checked across all research rounds 1415161920.

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

BYD holds no documented supply relationship - as prime contractor, component supplier, raw material provider, or manufacturing services provider - with Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, or Israel Military Industries (IMI/Elbit Land). No public evidence identified; OSINT searches for combined BYD and Israeli defence prime terminology returned zero results across all three research rounds 6.

BYD holds no documented joint development programmes, co-production agreements, technology transfer arrangements, or licensed manufacturing agreements with Israeli defence firms. No public evidence identified; IMOD SIBAT and DPD procurement records and defence trade directories were checked 6.

BYD vehicles contain BYD-manufactured iron-phosphate batteries, electric motors, and power electronics; no evidence confirms these components are integrated into Israeli weapons platforms, missile defence systems, or strategic defence systems including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, SA’AR 6 corvettes, or Reshef-class missile ships 6. BYD vehicles (including cameras, sensors, and telematics) have been restricted by Israeli defence firms including Elbit Systems on espionage grounds; this reflects a restriction on use rather than a supply integration relationship 8.

IMOD procurement records confirm approximately $780 million in Reshef missile ship purchases from Israel Shipyards and approximately $183 million in air munitions procurement from Elbit Systems, but BYD is not named in any related supply chain disclosures 2122232425.

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

BYD holds no documented contracts to provide catering, transport, fuel supply, waste management, facilities maintenance, telecommunications, or other support services to IDF bases, military training facilities, detention centres, or security installations. No public evidence identified; Who Profits, AFSC, and settlement infrastructure databases were checked 141516.

BYD eBuses are operated by Egged, a publicly documented IDF wartime transport provider, in Israeli cities 17. Grokipedia confirms Egged provided 1,850 specialised transport services for IDF soldiers post-October 7, including shuttles to Ben Gurion Airport for international deployments and other wartime logistics 17. No source confirms whether BYD eBuses were specifically deployed in these wartime logistics services. No public evidence identified; this remains an unconfirmed gap 17.

Egged (BYD’s principal bus fleet customer) has named corporate clients including Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Bezeq, documenting Egged’s operational integration with Israeli defence entities 14. This does not confirm BYD’s direct involvement in those relationships. Egged Ashdod branch organised a donation campaign for the Israeli army surrounding Gaza in 2018; this is pre-October 7 evidence of Egged group linkage to Israeli military fundraising, but its relevance to BYD is not established 14.

BYD holds no documented freight forwarding, shipping, or port handling contracts that specifically service Israeli defence logistics, military cargo, or arms shipments. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches returned no results 6.

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

BYD holds no documented role as prime contractor or licensed manufacturer of small arms, artillery systems, armoured vehicles, tactical drones, naval vessels, or other lethal platforms supplied to Israeli forces. No public evidence identified; Who Profits, AFSC, DBIO, PAX, and UN report databases were checked 14151619202627.

BYD holds no documented supply of ammunition, explosive ordnance, chemical propellants, warhead components, or munitions precursor materials to Israeli defence end-users. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches returned no results across all research rounds 6.

BYD holds no documented role in the manufacture, integration, maintenance, or supply of components for strategic defence platforms including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow missile defence systems, fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, warships, or ballistic missile systems. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches returned no results 6.

BYD holds no documented supply of critical sub-systems specifically calibrated for lethal or strategic systems, including guidance electronics, fire-control systems, radar components, propulsion units, or warhead casings. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches returned no results 6.

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act FY2024 (signed 22 December 2024) prohibits U.S. Department of Defense procurement of BYD batteries on national security grounds 28. The U.S. Department of Defense identified BYD as meriting inclusion on the Chinese Military Companies (CMC) list in October 2025, citing affiliations with China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and China’s military-civil fusion strategy 293028. BYD was published on the annual DoD CMC list in June 2026, formalising the October 2025 identification, and the designation bars BYD from U.S. defence contracts; BYD publicly denied the designation 2930.

A class action was filed in Israel against BYD and Shlomo Motors (with Pearl Cohen Zeidan Lletiner & Partners as plaintiffs’ counsel) alleging systematic, continuous collection of video, audio, location, and biometric data from BYD vehicles, transferred to servers abroad without informed consent in violation of Israeli Privacy Protection Law 1981 3132. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that BYD must litigate consumer claims in Israeli courts under Israeli law 31. A comparable Israeli judgment of approximately NIS 6 million ($6 million) was entered in a separate location-data privacy case involving the sale of location data 33.

No investigations, citations, or enforcement actions in any jurisdiction - EU, UK, U.S., or Israeli - for BYD’s compliance with arms embargoes, export control regimes, or sanctions affecting defence trade with Israel have been identified, beyond the U.S. DoD CMC designation above. No public evidence identified; OSINT searches returned no results 6293028.

No court proceedings, judicial reviews, or legal challenges have been brought against governments regarding BYD’s defence supply relationship with Israel. No public evidence identified; BYD is the subject of a consumer privacy class action rather than a defence supply challenge 313233.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

BYD does not appear in the UN OHCHR Database (A/HRC/60/19, September 2025) of 158 companies from 11 countries involved in Israeli settlement activities 3435. BYD does not appear in the UN Special Rapporteur Report (A/HRC/59/23, Francesca Albanese, 2 July 2025) or its companion 1,000-company database, which names 48 corporate actors including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and others 3637.

BYD is not named in the PAX “Companies Arming Israel and Their Financiers” report (June 2024), which covers six named arms companies: Boeing, General Dynamics, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Rolls-Royce 26. BYD is not named in the AFSC “Companies Profiting from the Gaza Genocide” report (2024), which lists Toyota, Hyundai, Valero, Palantir, Google, and Amazon 27. BYD is not listed in the DBIO “Don’t Buy Into Occupation” IV Report (November 2024), which covers 58 companies 19. BYD is not listed in the DBIO “Don’t Buy Into Occupation” V Report (November 2025), which covers 104 companies with an expanded scope to include genocide, apartheid, and occupation 20.

OSINT searches returned no direct BYD entries in the Who Profits company database. No public evidence identified; the Who Profits Excel export of West Bank companies could not be parsed, and a BYD entry cannot be excluded with certainty from this specific data source 14. No BYD entries were found in AFSC’s Israeli military-adjacent supply chain investigations on investigate.afsc.org 15.

BYD has not been the subject of an organised BDS or institutional divestment campaign specifically related to Israeli military supply chain activities 6. BYD is the subject of IDF and MOD restrictions on security grounds, which is the inverse of a procurement relationship 568. BYD’s Israel market share continued to grow following the ICJ advisory opinion (July 2024) and the ICC arrest warrants (November 2024) 69.

BYD has made no public statements, policy changes, contract terminations, or end-use monitoring commitments in response to civil society pressure regarding Israeli military or settlement-adjacent supply chain 6. BYD continued Israeli operations unchanged post-ICJ (July 2024) and post-ICC (November 2024), launching the Atto 2 DM-i PHEV in November 2025 and holding approximately 44% of Israel’s total new vehicle market in H1 2026 69.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which held approximately 10% of BYD (225 million shares) since 2008, fully exited its position by September 2025 3839. No documented connection has been established between Berkshire Hathaway’s exit and BYD’s Israeli operations 3839.

BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu visited Israel in September 2023; the visit was hosted by Shlomo Motors with no documented meetings with IMOD, SIBAT, IDF, or defence-industry counterparties 440. Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners acquired a 15% stake in Shlomo Group’s auto and credit operations in September 2023; the U.S. Senate Finance Committee subsequently sent a letter to Affinity Partners in September 2024 4142. Whether the Affinity Partners investment agreement includes governance rights over Shlomo Motors (the BYD distributor) is not confirmed. No public evidence identified; this remains an unconfirmed gap 4142.

Maccabi Tel Aviv football club signed a sponsorship deal with the importer of BYD vehicles in Israel in December 2024 4344. Shlomo Motors offered a NIS 30,000 war discount to customers in 2024, which was reported in the Jerusalem Post 45. Neither sponsorship nor discount programme constitutes a military supply relationship.

End Notes

Footnotes

  1. https://www.byd.com/eu/news-list/BYD-Appoints-Shlomo-Motors-as-Distributor ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. https://www.bydeurope.com/article/401 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/09/06/jerusalem-transit-operator-egged-returns-to-byd-to-add-10-more-electric-buses ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-chinas-byd-chairman-wang-chuanfu-visits-israel-1001457388 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/01/22/israel-bans-chinese-vehicles-from-military-bases-citing-espionage-fears ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  6. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ujxpwqu5y ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25

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

  8. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-06-14/ty-article/.premium/chinese-electric-cars-kept-out-of-israeli-defense-agencies-over-security-fears/0000019e-c4cd-d43d-a39f-e6fd05450000 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  9. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202511/27/WS6927b375a310d6866eb2bac1.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. https://www.byd.com/eu/news-list/BYD-Appoints-Shlomo-Motors-as-Distributor ↩

  11. https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2025/0324/2025032401238.pdf ↩

  12. https://www.byd.international/country/israel ↩ ↩2

  13. https://www.ar-arch.com/projects/showrooms/byd-israel ↩ ↩2

  14. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4065 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  15. https://investigate.afsc.org/company/afcon-holdings ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  16. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4146 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  17. https://grokipedia.com/page/Egged_(company) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

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

  19. https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024_DBIO-IV-report.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  20. https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-DBIO-V-report-1.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. https://mod.gov.il/en/press-releases/press-room/israel-mod-purchases-5-advanced-reshef-missile-ships-from-israel-shipyards-at-approximately-780m ↩

  22. https://oceannews.com/news/defense/israel-mod-orders-israel-shipyards-floating-dock-for-the-israeli-navy ↩

  23. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/271209 ↩

  24. https://www.elbitsystems.com/news/israel-mod-expands-defense-industrial-base-approximately-183-million-air-munitions-procurement ↩

  25. https://www.elbitsystems.com/news/israel-mod-expands-defense-industrial-base-approximately-183-million-air-munitions-procurement ↩

  26. https://paxvoorvrede.nl/publicaties/the-companies-arming-israel-and-their-financiers ↩ ↩2

  27. https://afsc.org/gaza-genocide-companies ↩ ↩2

  28. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Company ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  29. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pentagon-lists-entities-designated-chinese-military-company-2026-06-08 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  30. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75y6e5p9reo ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  31. https://www.pearlcohen.com/the-supreme-court-requires-foreign-corporations-to-litigate-consumer-lawsuits-in-israeli-courts-according-to-israeli-law ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  32. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pearl-cohen_pearlcohen-dataprivacy-privacylaw-activity-7456994971628412928-i3JL ↩ ↩2

  33. https://inplp.com/latest-news/article/a-us-6-million-judgment-was-passed-in-israel-for-the-sale-of-location-data ↩ ↩2

  34. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc6019-database-all-business-enterprises-involved-activities-detailed ↩

  35. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_operating_in_West_Bank_settlements ↩

  36. https://law4palestine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Database-of-Companies-Named-in-the-UN-Special-Rapporteurs-Report-on-the-Economy-of-Occupation-and-Genocide.pdf ↩

  37. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/1/un-report-lists-companies-complicit-in-israels-genocide-who-are-they ↩

  38. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/22/investing/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-exits-byd ↩ ↩2

  39. https://fortune.com/2025/09/22/warren-buffett-sold-stake-byd-tesla ↩ ↩2

  40. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/412797 ↩

  41. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-kushners-affinity-partners-buys-15-shlomo-group-stake-1001469198 ↩ ↩2

  42. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/chairman_wyden_to_affinity_partnerspdf.pdf ↩ ↩2

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

  44. https://eletric-vehicles.com/general/chinese-carmakers-flood-the-israeli-market-byd-chery-xpeng-geely-and-nio ↩

  45. https://www.jpost.com/consumerism/article-889638 ↩