A Rare Look Inside a Chinese EV Factory With Almost No People Present

Edward Burtynsky’s powerful imagery, showcasing uniformed workers in mid-2000s Chinese factories, highlighted the immense human effort fueling China’s economic ascendance. Fast forward twenty years, his exploration of a Shanghai electric vehicle plant reveals an eerily human-less environment.“This facility was constructed by humans yet is operated by robots,” Burtynsky remarked during a Zoom interview about the BYD-owned plant. He envisions this trend as a precursor to our future.BYD is leading a technological shift, having surpassed Tesla in annual revenues last year by delivering 4.27 million vehicles, including 2.5 million hybrids at competitive prices. Burtynsky's rare access to a Changzhou plant, enabled by architect Sir Norman Foster, revealed the stark dynamics of automation, where humans merely oversee robotic operations.The striking image created during his visit, titled BYD Manufacturing Facility #1, symbolizes rapid change and global supply chain consequences. It represents China's extensive vertical integration, as the nation procures resources worldwide. Burtynsky's work, embodying moral complexity, challenges perceptions of progress alongside automation’s implications.