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Chinese BYD EV

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TEG

Teslafanatic
Moderator
Aug 20, 2006
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Slightly old news

byd-f6.jpg
 
Hmph...I'll believe the F6 when I see it (and it's not an NEV). Moreover, the F6 IMO resembles the Javlon. Let's hope this time next year we're looking back at 2008 saying "this was the year of the electric car" rather than, "this was supposed to be the year of the electric car" as 2007 was supposed to be--with the Roadster, Phoenix SUT, ZAP Cross-X, the list goes on.
 
It mentions that the BYD battery uses Lithium IRON similar to A123's battery. Would this be adding another environmental issue (the IRON) as far as recycling? I wonder if this would mean that the solution proposed for battery technology by LG Chem would be somewhat better environmentally?
 
BYD Back in the Picture

Saw this article and what caught my eye was this quote:

"Wang hinted that the automaker will bring its new all-electric version of its E6 model sedan that features a 248 mile range to Geneva in 2009. The all new sedan is currently used as a taxi in the busy streets of Beijing, China."

Wonder if that's true. Anyone been to China lately? I find that one hard to believe, but you never know.

BYD China looking to build Euro hybrids by 2010 | Automotive News Blog - Wide Open Throttle
 
BYD--Don't forget about me

Someone posted the news about Warren Buffet's stake in BYD, but I think this whole article is worth posting, with 4 models that may be coming to market by the time the Volt is on the road:




China's BYD Gets a Boost From Warren Buffett Investment
September 29, 2008
By Michelle Krebs
BYD%20e6%20-%20272.JPG
China's fledgling battery maker-turned-automaker got a huge shot in the arm Monday when a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway announced it will buy a stake in company.
Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings will pay $230 million for a 10-percent stake in BYD to support its "green" technologies, the company said told Reuters news service.
The deal gives MidAmerican a foothold in the Hong Kong-listed company, which is developing electric-hybrid cars it expects to start selling in China later this year, Europe and Israel by 2010 and North America thereafter. It gives the Chinese company a much-needed boost in funding for further development and credibility.

Newcomer Grows Fast
BYD has been one of the more intriguing companies to watch in China - one with immense promise. BYD, which translates to Build Your Dreams, is a young company, established in 1995 as a battery maker. It quickly became one of the world's largest producers of rechargeable batteries. It claims to have about 30 percent share of the world's cell phone battery market.
In 2003, BYD got into China's then burgeoning car business by buying bankrupt government-owned automaker Qinchan. With a presence at world auto shows from China to Europe to Detroit, BYD Auto has laid out an ambitious plan to sell its cars, including electric and hybrid ones, around the globe.
A North American Beachhead
BYD Auto currently is being wooed by states in the U.S. for a port of entry, a test market for its electric-car fleet, a distribution hub and a possible manufcturing base for its hybrid and electric cars.
Earlier this month, Oregon government officials, including the state's governor and Portland's mayor, met with BYD Auto executives to discuss the possibility of BYD using its port and eventually establishing a manufacturing base in the state. BYD executives told Portland media that Michigan, Idaho and California are also in the running.
BYD%20F3%20225.JPG
BYD executives told Portland reporters they plan to sell two models in the North American market: the F3DM and the F6DM. The cars, which likely will sell for $25,000 to $30,000, are manufactured in China. In the future, BYD plans all-electric models, like the F3e and F6e, which have been displayed at auto shows.
The automaker claims its "dual mode" plug-in hybrids - a range-extending concept similar to that of General Motors' Chevrolet Volt - run on battery power for the first 60 miles (GM is claiming the Volt will do 40 miles). A gasoline engine only kicks in after that for a range of 260 miles. Plugging into a conventional outlet or a special charging station, which the city of Portland is installing, recharges them. BYD claims it uses a chemistry that offers better performance than conventional lithium-ion batteries with less risk of overheating, a major problem with such batteries.
Buffett Connection
The investment by Warren Buffett's company not only gives the Chinese automaker a financial boost for further development but credibility enhancement. Chinese auto companies have not been up to par in terms of vehicle quality, often making them the butt of jokes at international auto shows.
Buffett, in a statement issued Monday, praised BYD's chairman, Wang Chuanfu, for his "extraordinary managerial record."
MidAmerican Chairman David Sokol added that BYD's technologies will be an integral part of the future for the care of the environment especially relating to global climate change.
"The news is positive as the investment is big," Frederick Wong, analyst at BNP Paribas in Hong Kong told Reuters.
Buffett's investment in BYD is the second major one in recent days. Last week, Israel's Clal Industries and Investments, a unit of conglomerate IDB Development, signed a deal to import electric cars from BYD and sell them in Israel.
Photos by BYD
1 - BYD displayed the F6e at last spring's Beijing auto show.
2 - The F3 is among the first models BYD plans for export.

China's BYD Gets a Boost From Warren Buffett Investment - Auto Observer
 
SHANGHAI, China — Battery maker turned car company BYD Co. has launched China's first homegrown hybrid vehicle for the retail market, seeking an edge over its crisis-stricken international rivals.

BYD presented the vehicle, known as the F3DM, in a ceremony in the southern city of Shenzhen, where local officials have pledged to buy some of the cars in support of the project.

The vehicle can run up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) on its electric engine, and when it runs low on power shifts to a back up gasoline engine. Its battery can fully charge in nine hours from a regular electrical outlet, or much faster at BYD's own charging stations, the company said in a statement.

The car will sell for 149,800 yuan ($22,000), about the same as many Chinese-made mid-sized cars, it said.

Although the car is just now hitting the market, BYD claims to have leapfrogged larger automakers to be the first company to commercialize plug-in hybrid technology, which allows the batteries of the F3DM _ DM stands for duel mode _ to be recharged without any special infrastructure.

General Motors Corp.'s own plug-in electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, is due to roll out in late 2010. Toyota Motor Corp. also is pushing to get a plug-in electric vehicle to market in 2010, while Ford Motor Co., says it is five years away from producing them in significant numbers.

Still, developing a safe plug-in has been a major challenge for automakers, and it was unclear what sort of standards the BYD vehicle had met.

BYD, a private company based in Shenzhen, started out as a maker of rechargeable batteries. Its foray into electric car manufacturing drew broader attention recently when MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., invested in a 9.9 percent stake in the company.

Story continues below

Encouraged by government support for alternative fuel technologies, BYD _ whose name stands for "build your dreams" _ has pressed ahead with developing electric vehicles, despite weakening sales in China and elsewhere.

The company has said it plans to export the cars to the United States, but its vehicles must first meet stringent U.S. safety standards _ a requirement that so far has deterred other, better-known local automakers.

Eager to limit its fast-growing dependence on the crude oil imports needed to fuel its growing legions of autos, and to limit choking emissions, China is pursuing a medley of programs aimed at putting new energy buses and other vehicles on the roads.

Last week, China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to collaborate on alternative fuel vehicles, focusing on battery performance, testing and evaluation _ areas bound to dovetail well with BYD's own approach.