I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.BYD unveiled the ETT 44 electric semi-truck at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, competing directly with Tesla. Featuring a 651 kWh Blade Battery and 732-horsepower motor, it offers a 372-mile range and supports 1.5+ MW flash charging. The truck boasts a 44-tonne gross weight capacity, surpassing Tesla's by four tonnes, and includes a 10-year/1.2-million km battery warranty. It joins other EV semis from Volvo and Mercedes in the European market.
Tesla isn't the only brand showcasing its new European electric semi trucks at theIAA Transportation 2026show today in Hanover, Germany. BYD also showed off its own vision for the future of electric long-haul trucking, and while it looks much more traditional than Tesla's Semi, it's anything but conventional under the skin.
It's called the BYDETT 44, which isn't the catchiest name in the world but it is a commercial work truck, not a something to impress your neighbors with. The ETT 44 4X2 uses BYD's "Ultra-safe Blade Battery" tech, which is a massive651 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) unit. That enormous battery powers a 732-horsepower electric motor, with 1,000 peak horsepower, and it's capable of 1.5+ megawatt "Flash Charging" using MCS stations.
According to BYD, using an MCS charger, the ETT 44 can jump from 20-80% state-of-charge (SOC) in less than 20 minutes. With a full battery, it packs a claimed range of 372 miles, and the aforementioned 20-80% charge is said to add another 248 miles. That's pretty good for something that weighs 24,140 pounds unladen. There's going to be a 6X2 model as well, but there aren't range specs for that one just yet. The most impressive spec, though, is the 44-tonne (97,000-pound) gross vehicle combination weight, which bests Tesla's by four tonnes (8,818 pounds).
BYD mentioned a warranty, too. The Blade Battery gets a10-year / 1.2-million kilometer (745,000-mile) warranty, which is longer than most European electric truck makers' 6-8 year warranties. For a workhorse, it's interesting to see such a long warranty. For whatever it's worth, Tesla did not announce the terms of the warranty for the Semi, the BYD's main competitor.
This platform won't just be for semi trucks, though. It will be available for all sorts of commercial vehicles, like rigid trucks and yard tractors. It's part of BYD's commercial ecosystem, offering commercial customers more options.
Like most semi trucks, the ETT 44 has a big tall roof with a sleeper cab in there for driver's on long-haul trips. It even has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12.8-inch screen, to keep drivers sane on longer journeys.
The BYD ETT 44 joins several electric semi trucks in Europe, including Tesla's, Volvo's, and Mercedes', so it will be interesting to see how many commercial applications it's used in. There are more established trucking brands in Europe that have their own offerings, andSwedish trucking giant Einride just ordered 500 Tesla Semis. So while BYD certainly has the specs to compete, and even beat, its competitors, it's heading into a quickly crowding market.