http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90860/6990705.html

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/mediafile/201005/19/P201005191044022716532729.jpg


BYD electric car to be sold in US for $40,000
10:28, May 19, 2010

Chinese automaker BYD Auto officially delivered 30 pure electric E6 vehicles to the Shenzhen-based Pengcheng Electric Taxi Company on May 17, 2010. As the world’s first pure electric taxis, BYD E6 taxis have attracted wide attention and support from the public. BYD will start selling the E6 in the United States in 2010 for around 40,000 U.S. dollars.

Xia Zhibing, general manager of BYD Auto, said preparations for the BYD E6's entry into the U.S. market are well under way. One of the tasks of the recently-established BYD North American sales headquarters is to sell the alternative-energy vehicles. Du Guozhong, BYD’s public relations manager, said that BYD E6 has passed all necessary tests including battery safety tests in the United States, and will go on sale in U.S. markets in 2010 for around 40,000 U.S. dollars.

BYD E6 is a high-performance SUV-MPV crossover vehicle independently developed by BYD. The car is 4,560 millimeters long, 1,822 millimeters wide and 1,630 millimeters in height, with a wheelbase of 2,830 millimeters. There are only five seats in the spacious car body to ensure passengers plenty of room to sit comfortably.

BYD E6 can run up to 300 kilometers on one charge, taking the lead among electric vehicles. Meanwhile, it is the pioneer of eco-friendly vehicles using a rechargeable super-iron battery and a starter battery. The super-iron battery will not cause any harm to the environment and all its chemical substances can be decomposed and absorbed harmlessly in nature, solving environmental problems including secondary resource recovery.

Therefore, it is an eco-friendly battery. The super-iron battery can be charged in slow-mode with a 220V power adapter and a 3C adapter in fast charge, filled to 80 percent within 15 minutes.

In terms of energy efficiency, BYD E6 consumes around 20 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers, making it only one-third to one-fourth the cost of fuel-powered cars. In security, the super-iron batteries installed in the E6 have been proven to have excellent safety and will not cause an explosion in high temperatures, high pressure and accidents. Using penetrable side rails, it has good anti-collision performance. In terms of performance, it has a start-up time of less than 10 seconds and its maximum speed is 140 kilometers per hour.

Its entry into the U.S. market in 2010 will be a historic moment for BYD Auto. The selling price is expected to decrease once the production and sales volume increases.

Well, half of it is the right color:)

This will make pricing of the volt higher if I were the stupid GM executive.

Desertstraw is going to love this, bless his World War 2 veteran heart. This is going to be really interesting watching the US government write $7,500 checks to a Chinese company (indirectly, but not by much) that didn't even exist when EV1s were on the road, for selling us cars that our own auto makers could've been selling for decades.

Desertstraw is going to love this, bless his World War 2 veteran heart. This is going to be really interesting watching the US government write $7,500 checks to a Chinese company (indirectly, but not by much) that didn't even exist when EV1s were on the road, for selling us cars that our own auto makers could've been selling for decades.

I am so confooosed with this.
1. I thought the $7,500 is a tax credit and not a check and is available to those US taxpayers buying EV.
2. Are the Chinese being taxed by the US so that they can get tax credits?
3. Is there a new law that the US will issue a check to the Chinese for each EV that is bought in the US?
4. The Chinese, just like all the other EV sellers, jacked up their prices by $7,500 more because they know that you will get a tax credit?

Somebody help me, here. GM claims the Volt will go 40 miles on 8kWh. Nissan claims the Leaf will go 100 miles on somewhere around 20kWh. Both claims work out to about 5 miles/kWh. Now BYD proudly states the E6 will get just over 3 miles/kWh. This is goodness?

Admittedly "up to 185 miles on a charge" is impressive, but man! 60kWh for a full charge? That sounds like 24 hours at 240v unless you dedicate a 40A circuit. And 80% in 15 minutes? That's 192kW!

The E6 has a 48kwh lithium iron phosphate pack, it can be discharged deeper than the usual LIMN Spinel but not 100% (A123 claims 100% but you would quickly run into cell imbalance problems), they claim a range of 62 miles per 20kwh of capacity so at 90% DOD you would end up with 134 miles of range. Note that its a crossover, larger than the Volt or LEAF.. not a slippery compact hatchback. It sounds like the E6 would benefit from some wind tunnel work. Perhaps the motor and inverter efficiency is not up to par.

You would probably get much better range at slow speeds..

I am so confooosed with this.
1. I thought the $7,500 is a tax credit and not a check and is available to those US taxpayers buying EV.
2. Are the Chinese being taxed by the US so that they can get tax credits?
3. Is there a new law that the US will issue a check to the Chinese for each EV that is bought in the US?
4. The Chinese, just like all the other EV sellers, jacked up their prices by $7,500 more because they know that you will get a tax credit?

#4 is what I meant. I've only taken a few economics classes, but enough to know that the laws of supply and demand are what they are, and market value is market value. Any efforts for the government to subsidize the price of EVs only makes the number on the price tag higher. Just as Nissan is advertising their car costs $25,000 and Tesla says the S will be $50,000. The price written in shoe polish on the windshields will be $32,500 and $57,500.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKSHA37071720090420?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0


" "We are in talks with American and European automakers to supply powertrain systems, including batteries. The idea is that we will pick one American and two European automakers," said Henry Li, general manager of BYD Auto's export trade division."

They must be talking about Ford..

… the world’s first pure electric taxis? No, I remember seeing many Tama taxis in Tokyo more than sixty years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Motor_Company
http://nissan-gallery.at.webry.info/201002/article_1.html

Its cruising range was about 40 miles with 6.48kWh lead-acid battery.