Chinese BYD EV

[johnr]

Shenzhen taxi drivers to drive BYD e6 soon

Chinese car and battery maker BYD Co. has delivered the first batch of 100 electric vehicles e6 to Shenzhen Taxi Company Ltd.

 

[vfx]

Tesla's faith in America - Video - Business News

Elon and the Model S are featured.

Poppy is growing on me. :smile:

 

[TEG]

Warren Buffett: All Cars Will Be Electric By 2030

 

[vfx]

Office in CA

http://go.emaildirect.com/_p_ga4x2n...xyaer4lkngafr88wxgs5vjulnndu6s_p_/trouble.htm

 

[AndrewBissell]

Hyperbole never ceases:

Like California, BYD has been a leader in green; ... introducing the first electric car independent of specialized charging stations in the world, the e6, in 2010 to the city of Shenzhen, China.

I know that Tesla Roadsters recharge "independent of specialized charging stations" - if we assume "introduced" means customer deliveries - since 2008. And that is just one example - I am sure we can reel off example after example right back to the dawn of motoring (hard to imagine all those 1900s EVs needed "charging stations")!

 

[vfx]

That tripe got me too.

As for history though...

 

[DaveD]

Unfortunately, the marketing/business people so desperately want to use the word "first" in their press releases that they'll use the pathetic "first [insert qualifiers here] electric vehicle in the world" pattern to do it. But, it's also unfortunately true that many people believe this kind of marketing garbage. Is it any wonder that technical people generally hate marketing people? :biggrin:

 

[tdelta1000]

I don't think we will see these cars here unless Mr. buffet sink more money into the company. What are the numbers on the BYD EVs?

 

[vfx]

Investor speak

http://www.angelnexus.com/o/web/21690

 

[qwk]

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog...ectric-crossover-to-cost-35000-200-mile-range

 

[qwk]

BYD R&D ripoff?

http://www.chinacartimes.com/2010/0...-replication-cost-cutting-and-car-production/

 

[vfx]

Everyone does this. Porsche bought 1.5 a Roadster with great fanfare.

I remember the Lancia Beta was bought by american auto manufacturers in droves. It had a lot of new ideas in drivetrain and suspension design that the US had been grappling with at the time.

From Wiki

...However, in the Beta the engine and gearbox were fitted transversely in line. This Fiat-inspired configuration not only enabled neat engine bay packaging, but also, by tilting the engine 20 degrees rearwards, the Lancia engineers achieved improved weight transfer over the driven wheels and towards the centre of the car, as well as lowering the centre of gravity....
On the front-wheel drive Betas, Lancia designed a particularly original independent rear suspension with MacPherson struts attached to parallel transverse links that pivoted on a centrally mounted cross member bolted to the underside of the floorpan. An anti-roll bar was fitted to the floorpan ahead of the rear struts with both ends of the bar trailing back to bolt to the rear struts on each side. ... Unfortunately the design was never patented by Lancia, and consequently inspired similar rear suspension system layouts in other manufacturers' vehicles during the 1980s and 1990s.

The uncommon part is of the BYD story is this

...
BYD isn’t shy about its business practices...

 

[domenick]

BYD say their batteries show no range deterioration after a year of taxi service. Couple new pics of the bus and e6.

 

[Doug_G]

Another curious BYD venture...

Electric bus to be assembled in Windsor

Buses are often assembled in facilities known as "CKD plants," or Complete Knock Down. They have no robots, little tooling, and may not even have a paint shop. They receive shipments of complete vehicle kits which are assembled using local labour to circumvent import duties.

 

[TEG]

Chinese car company sets up shop in Glendale - Glendale News Press

...BYD hopes to sell as many as 20,000 cars in the U.S. next year, about 4% of what it sold in China last year...
...The company’s all-electric E-6 can go nearly 200 miles without a charge and will sell for about the same price as a Nissan Leaf...

 

[dpeilow]

cars21.com EVs take off in Chinas local public transport - ELECTRIC CHINA WEEKLY No6

 

[Kipernicus]

Hertz NYC Rental Fleet May Soon Include Chinese EVs

It appears Hertz will provide Chinese automaker BYD a push in its efforts to enter the U.S. market. The two companies have inked a deal to add the BYD e6 electric car to Hertz’s rental fleet in New York City.

The BYD e6 EV was on display at Hertz’s booth at the 2012 New York auto show, providing NYC residents a glimpse of what will be roaming their streets in the near future. The New York Times reports that the BYD e6 could enter Hertz’s NYC fleet by the end of this year, should it pass all the necessary certification.

“We feel the E6 is clearly ready for the American market,” Hertz senior vice president Rich Broome told the newspaper. “The performance, style, and size are all very good.”

Hertz currently offers the BYD e6 for rent in Shenzhen, China, where the company receives a number of attractive incentives from the government. In the U.S., the e6 should be cheaper than the $58,000 MSRP the car carries in China, where BYD hopes to have 1500 rental cars on the streets by the end of 2012. The e6 has a range of 150-190 miles per charge depending on driving conditions and the 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack will only need 30 minutes to fully recharge when connected to a D.C. fast-charging station.

BYD hopes to offer the e6 to American consumers once it feels the charging network has improved. The company has set up its North American headquarters in downtown L.A and provided a fleet of e6 EVs to the Los Angeles City Housing Authority in 2010.

AutomobileMag

NY Times

 

[Kipernicus]

I find it interesting that the BYD has a 60kWh battery but sub 200mile range. What's different about a Model S with 60kWh battery that nets it 230 mile range? Aerodynamics? PEM engineering? speed and testing conditions?

 

[Robert.Boston]

Complete guess: a combo of superb aerodynamic on the Model S and better battery pampering, which allows safe access to a broader range of the batteries' SOC.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Hertz collaborates with Chinese carmaker BYD to rent EVs in the US

Chinese cars may be coming to America soon, but only as rentals. Hertz recently allied itself with Chinese automaker BYD (“Build Your Dreams”), renting electric cars in the city of Shenzhen. The American company plans to expand the program to other cities in China and, eventually, the U.S.

The car in question, the E6, is a midsize hatchback. It costs the equivalent of $58,000 in China, although, according to the New York Times, it may be cheaper in the United States. It will be ready for sale in the U.S. by the end of the year. “We feel the E6 is clearly ready for the American market,” said Hertz senior vice president Rich Broome, “the performance, style, and size are all very good.” The E6 sports a large, 60 kilowatt-hour battery pack that can go roughly 185 miles between charges, a figure that eclipses the Nissan Leaf’s 80-100-mile range. However, the E6 is a new car from a country that is new to the motor industry, so build quality and reliability are unknown quantities. This car completely lacks anything even resembling style.

Larry