Knock, Knock! Who's there? The Chinese 250 mi. EV

If this is true, it is an EV tsunami that will sweep the EV landscape clear.
Forget the Chevy Volt. Forget the Nissan Leaf.
Behold the future of personal transportation...

Behold the BYD E6.

"BYD says that its new E6 electric car due out before the end of the
year will do 250 miles (400km) on a single charge...

"It needs 7-8 hours with a domestic plug to charge the car but BYD - it
stands for Build Your Dreams - says a specially developed fast
charging point with a lead the diameter of a fire hose will fill up the
car in just one hour.

"You can get half a charge in only 10 minutes...

"Let us look at the accuracy of the claim first. BYD is already the
world's number two in rechargeable batteries, and for the E6 it is
using a ferrous battery it has developed itself.

"There is a reputational risk in exaggerating the claims of a product.
And that could be translated into a legal risk if people buy shares in
the publicly quoted company as a result of misleading information."

Full article Here:

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Harrabin's Notes: Electric promise

 

Apparently, there are some dark clouds gathering on BYD's horizon:

"The big question: Is an upstart like BYD technically savvy enough
to deliver the technology without quality and performance problems?

"BYD may be growing by leaps and bounds technologically as a
lithium-ion battery and automobile producer, but it doesn’t have a
good track record in keeping promises on product launches, and some
industry observers suspect there may be technical glitches plaguing its
green cars, which include a plug-in hybrid car called the F3DM, in
addition to the e6.

"BYD began selling the F3DM late last year to fleet customers but has
since failed to make it available for consumers even though it said it
plans to make F3DMs available in June."

Full article here:

- China Real Time Report - WSJ

 

BYD is having trouble selling it's plugin hybrid in its domestic market

"So far BYD has focused on fleet buyers (often the Chinese government
or state-owned companies) for its plug-in model, rather than the
consumer market where it expects to see growth for other models in
2010. As recently as this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that
the F3DM plug-in hybrid had “yet to appear in any dealership, leading
industry observers to speculate its battery is not ready for prime
time.â€

Yet, it still plans to introduce its all-electric e6 in the US in 2010:

"The company said earlier this month it’s eying the Los Angeles,
Calif. region as a lead market for its planned 2010 launch of the all-
electric e6 (the company’s first U.S. offering), and today Lin said BYD
remains on track to start selling the all-electric e6 in China in the first
quarter or 2010."

Full story here:

BYD Plug-in Hybrid Sales Wallow in the Hundreds

 

BYD Hopes to Offer Electric Car in U.S. This Year

"... BYD created a stir on Tuesday by announcing that it plans to
start selling an electric car in California by the end of this year, a
move that would make BYD the first company to sell Chinese-made
vehicles in the United States, The New York Times’s Nick Bunkley
reported.

"It also would require the company to overcome numerous hurdles,
including crash and emissions testing that can sometimes take years,
not to mention arranging a network of dealers.

"But BYD, which was founded just seven years ago, is fond of setting
ambitious goals. An introductory video played before the company
made its announcement said, almost as a side note, that BYD intends
to be the largest automaker in the world by 2025... "

Full article

 

BYD is still in the EV race

BYD Co. Ltd., one of the most widely watched of China's emerging
automakers, plans to unveil two advanced technology vehicles at the
Detroit auto show next month: an all-electric 2012 e6 crossover, and a
S6DM hybrid.

BYD, a battery-maker that branched out into the auto business, said
Thursday it also will display solar panels, home energy storage units
and other environmentally friendly products and technologies in its
"Green City Solutions" exhibit.

BYD, which counts U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett among its investors,
is one of China's most closely observed automakers because of its
battery expertise. The company plans to export vehicles to the United
States in the near future.

The BYD e6Premier, with an iron-phosphate "FE" battery, has a 186-
mile range on city roads and a top speed of 87 miles per hour. It takes
40 minutes to charge the e6 using a 100-kilowatt fast-charger and six
hours on a standard outlet.

From The Detroit News

 

I started this thread in a tongue-in-cheek mode.

But since then, Warren Buffet has invested a lot of money in BYD:

Warren Buffett looks to electric car in BYD stake - MarketWatch

And despite continuing delivery difficulties is hanging in there:

BYD investor Warren Buffett stil bullish on long-term success

It would be truly remarkable for a Chinese maker to deliver
a first-rate, EV first car for the American market.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

I don't contest the facts that BYD is a johnny-come-lately or that they
face significant challenges being successful in the US domestic market.
My purpose is just to give their efforts some visibility...
there is that very small chance that they do have a viable vehicle.

Earlier this week at the Detroit Auto Show, Chinese carmaker BYD
took the wraps off a new incarnation of the e6 crossover it's shown
twice before.

This time, however, it came with an upgraded interior, a more powerful
drive motor, and a price: $35,000 before incentives. The company
hopes to offer its 2012 BYD e6 S (for 'Sport') for sale in selected U.S.
markets toward the end of this year.

$2,220 more than Leaf, twice the range

The price of $35,000, first reported on Plug-In Cars, is just $2,220 more
than a 2011 Nissan Leaf compact hatchback, which retails for $32,780,
and considerably less than the $41,000 Chevy Volt.

More significant, the BYD e6 S will have a range of roughly 200 miles--
perhaps more--from its 60-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.
That's twice the Leaf's range, from a battery pack holding more than
2.5 times as much energy.

Read more:Chinese EV Doubles Nissan Leaf's Range - IEEE Spectrum