Hogan Lovells US LLP

Columbia Square

555 Thirteenth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20004

T +1 202 637 5600

F +1 202 637 5910

www.hoganlovells.com

October 9, 2018

BY ELECTRONIC FILING PUBLIC DOCUMENT

Mr. Arthur Tsao

Assistant General Counsel

Office of the United States Trade Representative

600 17th Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20508

Re: China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual 

Property, and Innovation, Docket Number USTR-2018-0025: Exclusion Request of 

BYD USA Regarding Electric Terminal Truck Model 8Y

Dear Mr. Tsao:

On behalf of BYD Motors Inc. (“BYD”), an American manufacturer of material handling

solutions for U.S. manufacturers, distributors and small businesses, we respectfully submit this 

exclusion request pursuant to the publication by the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative (“USTR”) of Procedures to Consider Requests for Exclusion of Particular 

Products from the Determination of Action Pursuant to Section 301: China’s Acts, Policies, and 

Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation, 83 Fed. Reg. 

32,181 (July 11, 2018) (the “Exclusion Procedures”). For the reasons set forth below, a 25 

percent tariff on an electrical terminal truck model 8Y would harm the competitiveness of U.S. 

businesses and, most importantly, the health of U.S. workers who would be denied access to a 

cleaner and safer workplace product. Accordingly, USTR should grant an exclusion from the 

Section 301 tariffs for this product as described below.

I. Introduction

BYD began as a start-up in 1995 and has grown into a global leader in electric products. 

We are not owned, controlled or directed by any foreign government. Our largest public 

shareholder is Warren Buffet’s firm, Berkshire Hathaway, based in Omaha, Nebraska. While 
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BYD’s parent company is based in China, BYD is a U.S. manufacturing success story. BYD 

opened its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles in 2011. Three years later, BYD opened its first 

U.S. electric mobility manufacturing plant in Lancaster, California. BYD then created a separate 

unit, BYD Energy, in Lancaster to manufacture electric vehicle battery packs and battery 

modules. BYD Energy supplies all of the electric battery modules for BYD’s state-of-the-art, 

550,000 sq. ft. electric bus manufacturing facility located nearby.

BYD has scaled up quickly during the past four years and continues to grow U.S. 

manufacturing. BYD currently employs over 1,000 people in its U.S. operations and BYD plans 

to grow its workforce to approximately 1,200 as it expands its facility to encompass increased 

manufacturing. BYD’s total investment in U.S. manufacturing over the last seven years, through 

facilities, American workers, and partnerships with U.S. vendors, exceeds $250 million.

BYD is proud that our manufacturing workers are members of SMART Local 105 (“Local 

105”), a labor union representing sheet metal, air, rail, and transportation workers. BYD and 

Local 105 recently signed an agreement in January increasing wages and implementing 

enhanced training opportunities. Commentators have declared that “[t]here is no [other] 

company that has a contract like this in the industry.” 1/

BYD invests in its community. Through an agreement with Local 105, BYD has 

committed to work toward the goal of recruiting and hiring 40 percent of our workers from 

populations facing significant barriers to employment, such as veterans. BYD has also initiated 

an effort to recruit workers from other populations that have been historically underrepresented 

in the manufacturing industry, including women and African Americans. BYD has sponsored an 

endowment at nearby Antelope Valley College to train students for manufacturing jobs in the 

technology sector. BYD and Local 105 have also worked in partnership with the college to 

create a state-of-the-art green high-technology manufacturing training program. The program 

 

1/ SMART Local Union 105, BYD Workers Ratify Unprecedented Contract (Feb. 7, 2018), available 

at: http://local105.org/2018/02/07/byd-workers-ratify-unprecedented-contract (Exhibit 1).
3

will not only help BYD develop the next generation of green high-technology manufacturing 

workers for a career at our manufacturing facilities, but also enhance the region’s economic 

development opportunities by creating an elite pool of highly-skilled advanced green 

manufacturing workers. Congressman Steven Knight, among many others, has applauded 

BYD’s investments: “BYD is a company that has brought good-paying manufacturing jobs back 

to California while other companies are choosing to export those jobs to other states and 

countries. . . . We need more companies like BYD in California that are training and building up 

a workforce of skilled individuals that are prepared for the manufacturing jobs of the future.” 2/

II. Tariffs will Harm U.S. Businesses and the Health of U.S. Workers

Tariffs on these material handling solutions will harm U.S. manufacturing – both at BYD 

as well as at its customers. As an initial matter, the imported products are assembled to form a 

complete material handling solution consisting of a chassis, an internal, non-removable battery, 

and a charger, in our Lancaster facility. They are also customized at the Lancaster facility for 

the given customer – i.e., a manufacturer, a warehouse, or a small business. Customization

can add significant value-add depending on the application, often doubling the value of the 

material handling solution sold to the customer. These manufacturing operations support 12 

direct jobs in Lancaster, with 30 more jobs projected by the end of 2019. Tariffs on these 

products could lead to the loss of these jobs. In addition, BYD’s plan is to manufacture these 

products in the United States once it achieves an adequate market share. Tariffs threaten those 

plans.

More broadly, our products differ from other imported items in that they use a lithium

iron-phosphate, rather than lead-acid, battery. These products are better for worker health and 

safety. Unlike lead-acid batteries, BYD’s lithium iron-phosphate batteries do not “gas” or require 

 

2/ Charged Electrical Vehicles Magazine, BYD expands California electric bus factory, Charged (Oct. 

17, 2017), available at https://chargedevs.com/newswire/byd-expands-california-electric-bus-factory 

(Exhibit 2); Ross Naksone, Electric Buses = More Good, Union Jobs for Low-Income Californians, Blue 

Green Alliance (Aug. 1, 2017), available at https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/resources/electric-busesmore-good-union-jobs-for-low-income-californians (Exhibit 3).
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other maintenance considered a liability given the hazardous material found inside lead-acid 

batteries. Gassing refers to the release of hydrogen and oxygen gases when a lead-acid 

battery is recharged. The process produces a characteristic acid smell. The released gasses 

are both toxic and potentially explosive, causing the battery’s casing to burst if not done 

correctly, spraying acid and casing fragments. More generally, BYD’s batteries are non-toxic, 

with no ventilation or water needed for their operation. 3/

The benefits to workers safety and health are not limited to the gassing issue. As noted 

by one of BYD’s American-based resellers:

The battery is housed in an enclosed case which is designed to never need to be 

opened or removed. It has gone through extensive abuse testing from drops, to 

punctures, to extreme vibrations, to being grilled on an open flame. The results are the 

same: no runaway thermal reaction, they do not rupture, they do not {produce} harmful 

gases: the units remain stable and safe for proper disposal by certified technicians. 

There is no need for watering, no need for swapping, no need for venting, no fear of 

fumes or corrosion. When you need to charge the unit you simply plug-in to the side 

charging port like you would a cell phone. 4/

The following battery charging checklist provides the list of precautions that must be followed 

when recharging a lead-acid battery:

 

3/ Modern Group, BYD Forklift, available at https://www.moderngroup.com/byd/ (Exhibit 4).

4/ Id.
5

BYD’s material handling solutions also save U.S. manufacturers significant resources 

and, by extension, money. Unlike a traditional lead-acid battery, BYD’s product has up to 18 

hour run-time and can be recharged in 90 minutes. This allows the product to be used over 

multiple shifts.

The continued application of a 25 percent tariff on these material handling solutions will 

decrease the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, who will see their material handling costs 

increase as use of this developing technology slows.

III. The Product is Only Available from China

BYD understands that material handling solutions using lithium iron-phosphate batteries 

are only available in commercial quantities from China.

IV. The Product is Neither Strategically Important nor Related to “Made in 

China 2025”

Material handling solutions like forklifts, pallet and terminal trucks are not covered by the 

Made in China 2025 program highlighted by USTR in its Section 301 report. In fact, they are 

not even mentioned in the report. 

V. The 10 Digit Subheading of the HTSUS Applicable to the Product 

Requested for Exclusion

The 10 digit subheading of the HTSUS applicable to the product at issue here is 

8709.11.00.30: Works trucks, self-propelled, not fitted with lifting or handling equipment, of the 

type used in factories, warehouses, dock areas or airports for short distance transport of goods; 

tractors of the type used on railway station platforms; parts of the foregoing vehicles: Vehicles: 

Electrical; Operator riding

VI. Identification of the Particular Product and Ability of CBP to Administer the 

Exclusion

BYD proposes that terminal trucks with a length of 211.0 inches, width of 101.6 inches, 

and height of 126.0 inches that are equipped with an IEC 621961 Type 2 charger be excluded 

from the Section 301 tariffs. The physical description of the product is set forth in Exhibit 5 and 
a picture of a IEC 621961 Type 2 charger is provided below: 

VII. Physical Description of the Product 

The physical specifications of the electric terminal truck model 8Y is provided at 

Exhibit 5. 

IIX. Quantity and Value of the Product over the Last Three Years 

The quantity and value of imports for 2015-2017 were as follows: 

Quantity Value 

2015 0 $0 

2016 0 $0 

2017 0 $0 

*******-k****** 

For the reasons explained above, we urge USTR to grant an exemption for electric 

terminal truck model 8Y from the Section 301 tariffs. Failure to do so would hurt BYD's U.S. 

operations. Failure to do so would also hurt the competitiveness, health and safety of American 

workers. 

Respectfully submitted, 

HOGAN VELLS US LLP 
Exhibit 1 


Exhibit 2 




Exhibit 3 


Exhibit 4 




Exhibit 5 
HEAVY DUTY PERFORMANCE

CLASS 8 – 10 HOURS – UP TO 102,000 LBS GCWR

100% BATTERY-ELECTRIC CLASS 8 TERMINAL TRACTOR

Affordable, Dependable and Environmentally Friendly

The BYD 8Y utilizes the first battery specifically designed for vehicle electrification. Our proprietary iron phosphate 

technology is the core of BYD’s Class 8 yard truck, enabling 10+ hours of operation between charges with minimal 

battery degradation. The Class 8 yard truck is manufactured at BYD’s Lancaster, CA facility and is compliant with 

FMVSS and CMVSS regulations.

Environmentally friendly: no heavy metals or 

toxic electrolytes

Highly efficient, transversely mounted motors 

that are intergrated with the drive axle 

Regenerative braking extends battery life and reduces 

brake component wear

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) system that allows the truck to deliver 

power back to the grid, to a load, or to another vehicle

ELECTRIC TOUGH
HIGH PERFORMANCE

BYD’s breakthrough battery 

technology enables 10+ hrs 

of continuous operation.

LONG-LASTING

BYD’s batteries will still 

have 80% strength of 

charge after 5,000 cycles 

or 14 years if cycled 

every day.

WHAT SETS BYD APART

ECO-FRIENDLY

Each truck equals 137 metric tons of 

C02 eliminated or 129 acres of US 

forests saved each year.45

SAFE

No thermal events, no oxygen 

released, and no cell swelling. 

Proprietary Battery Management 

System (BMS) assists with balancing 

and charging safety. 

FUEL SAVINGS

$29,000 annual savings 

assuming 16 hours per day 

and 7 days per week.5

MAINTENANCE SAVINGS

$9,300 annual savings. 

Fewer moving parts, less 

brake wear, and fewer 

fluids to change.5

Build Your DreamsTM

Note: 1. All information based on the latest data available at the time of printing. Final specs subject to change at production.

 2. Initial capacity shown. Numbers may decrease with time and use.

 3. Battery age and outside ambient temperature affect charging times.

 4. Estimates based on 72-month financing, 58,400 hours, electricity cost of $0.13/kWh & $3.00/gal for Diesel

 5. Savings forecast is an estimate, and will vary based on customer operational costs.

Length 211.0 in

Width 101.6 in

Height 126.0 in

Wheelbase 118.1 in

Curb Weight 19,800 lbs

GCWR 102,000 lbs

Payload 82,200 lbs

Top Speed 29 mph

Max Gradeability 15%

Range ≥ 10 hours

Approach/Depart Angle 29°/ 33°

Wheel Rim 8.25*22.5

Tires 11R22.5

Suspension Front: Leaf Spring; Rear: None, Solid Mount

Brakes Front / Rear “S-cam” Style, Air Drum Brakes 

Fifth Wheel Plate Rating (Max) 70,000 lbs

Max Power 241 hp

Rated Power 201 hp

Max Torque 1,106 lb-ft

Rated Torque 738 lb-ft

Max Motor Speed 3,500 rpm

Battery Capacity 209 kWh

Charging Power AC 100kW

Charging Time 2.5 hrs (100kW)

Lifetime CO2e Saved45 1,370 metric tons

Lifetime Forest Saved45 1,290 acres

Lifetime TCO Savings45 $290,000 USD

Return on Investment45 Under2.3Years

Dimensions

Performance

Chassis

Powertrain

Savings