BYD Gets an Edge From Ships That Brave War, Outrun Storms

The BYD Shenzhen slipped its moorings from the southeastern Chinese port of Xiamen in late November to embark on a high-stakes journey across the Pacific with 1,768 new electric vehicles onboard. The mission: get to Mexico before recently announced tariffs on Chinese imports kicked in on Jan. 1.

After sailing through stormy seas on a hastily-plotted route, the freighter arrived at Lázaro Cárdenas seaport on Dec. 21, saving the world’s largest EV maker millions of dollars in duties. That it did so with time to spare, at a time when others were scrambling to charter any cargo ships, was a ...