MDL expands its BYD partnership with renewable energy products
Motor Distributors Limited (MDL), the long-established Irish automotive distributor and importer of BYD vehicles, is expanding its partnership with the Chinese brand to include a full suite of renewable energy products for the Irish market.
The move will see MDL add BYD’s solar panels, battery storage systems, inverters and electric vehicle chargers to its existing vehicle portfolio, broadening the group’s footprint in Ireland’s fast-growing clean energy sector.
MDL, whose roots in the Irish motor trade date back to the 1940s, began representing BYD passenger vehicles here in April 2023.
Since then, the brand has rapidly scaled its dealer network and climbed to a top-four position in Ireland’s EV sales rankings.
The company said it started 2026 strongly, with more than 1,000 BYD vehicles sold in January alone.
The new mandate significantly deepens the relationship between the two companies, positioning MDL to target both mobility and energy customers at a time of increasing focus on Ireland’s electricity capacity and grid resilience.
Announcing the expansion, MDL chief executive Paddy Finnegan said the appointment aligns with growing demand from businesses and households seeking greater energy independence.
He described the addition of BYD’s renewable energy range as “a new and exciting challenge” that reflects the needs of Irish industry and consumers looking to generate and store their own power.
BYD’s energy storage systems are designed to capture electricity — including power generated from solar installations — and store it in batteries for later use.
The systems can help stabilise the electricity grid, support the integration of renewable energy and provide backup supply during outages.
Under MDL’s management, the renewable energy portfolio will be marketed across industrial, commercial, institutional and residential segments.
Leading the Irish rollout is MDL director Rob O’Hara, who said the initial priority will be to establish communications and supply channels to introduce the full BYD range to what he described as a “wide and multi-faceted customer base”.
MDL said it started 2026 strongly, with more than 1,000 BYD vehicles sold in January alone.
Alongside heavy-duty installations for large-scale users, the range includes residential solutions such as the Battery-Box HVE, which BYD describes as its first integrated home energy storage system.
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Shenzhen, BYD operates across automotive, electronics, renewable energy and rail transit, and is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges.
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