Name
Wang Chuanfu
Wang Chuanfu
Shenzhen, China
Master of Science, Beijing Non-Ferrous Research Institute | Bachelor of Arts/Science, Central South Industrial University of Technology
China
batteries, automobiles, Self Made
$4,800,000,000
452
#452 Billionaires 2019
#55 China Rich List 2018
Wang Chuanfu's BYD reigns as king of China's nascent electric vehicle market, which is the largest EV market in the world.Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns an 8% stake in BYD.Born in a farm village in one of China's poorest provinces in 1966, Wang was orphaned as a teen and raised by his elder brother and sister. The high achiever made it to college, excelling as he trained his sights on battery technology.Wang cofounded BYD as a rechargeable battery company in the mid 1990s.
BYD stands for 'Build Your Dreams.'BYD started out making batteries for the booming mobile phone market, with customers such as Motorola and Nokia.
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