BYD at Milan Design Week: When the 'Washing Machine' on Four Wheels Really Does the Laundry

Those who follow the world of electric mobility on social media know it well: among the comments from detractors, the comparison between battery cars and household appliances is an evergreen. "We seem to have gone back to remote-controlled cars," some say, or, more commonly, "they're just washing machines with wheels." Well, BYD has decided it was time to stop ignoring the meme and to use it, with a healthy dose of irony, to explain what V2L technology really is.

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week 2026, the Chinese giant has partnered with Haier to turn skepticism into high-impact content. The concept is simple yet brilliant: if the car is a washing machine, then let’s use it to do laundry.

The DOLPHIN SURF Becomes a Power Bank on Wheels

The star of the installation was the new BYD Dolphin Surf. It's not just a compact city car (3.99 meters long and perfect for urban centers like Milan), but a real energy platform. Thanks to Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology, the car can supply energy externally, powering electrical devices with up to 3 kW.

In the campaign video, which has already surpassed 100,000 views in just one day, a boy sitting on a Haier washing machine calmly responds to criticism: the car is not a washing machine, but it provides the necessary electricity for the washing cycle. A clear message that shifts the focus from "prejudice" to "concrete functionality".

Beyond Mobility: The Car as an Energy Hub

The technical heart of this operation remains BYD's Blade Battery, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) solution known for its safety and longevity. But here the point is not autonomy or charging speed (which nonetheless allows charging from 10% to 80% in about 22 minutes), but versatility.

Seeing a Haier washing machine running at full capacity connected to a plug coming out of the charging port of a Dolphin Surf is the perfect image of what can be defined as the integration of domestic space and mobility. It is no longer just a means of transportation, but a wheel-based energy storage system that can be useful in case of blackouts, while camping, or, as in this case, for everyday household activities.

BYD's approach is smart. Instead of going on the defensive against those who criticize electric vehicles, it has chosen to "play" with contemporary codes. This strategy humanizes the brand and, above all, provides an immediate explanation of a technology (the V2L) that often remains confined to the technical sheets of charging nerds. The installation remained active until April 26, demonstrating every day how clean energy can be versatile.