BYD

August 24, 2009

China's BYD Plans to Sell Plug-in Electric Car in U.S. Market Next Year, WSJ Reports

BYD-Auto-e6-&-model.jpg China's BYD Auto is finalizing plans for all-electric plug-in vehicle - the e6, pictured - that would be sold in the U.S. next year, roughly a full year ahead of schedule, The Wall Street Journal reported today (subscription required), citing an interview with BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu.

In an interview at a BYD factory in Xian, China, Wang said the company aims to use money from a planned new-share sale in China to help pay for the U.S. push, as well as for a second production line for automotive lithium-ion batteries near BYD's Shenzhen headquarters.

The Journal described the e6 as a five-seat passenger car that can be fully charged in seven to nine hours when plugged into a standard (presumably 110-volt) home outlet.

According to BYD's Website, the e6: can receive a quick charge (presumably from a 220/240-volt outlet) to 50 percent capacity in just 10 minutes; is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour in 8 seconds; has a top speed of 100 mph; and can travel 249 miles on a single charge.

The Website also says that four power offerings are planned for the e6: 75 kilowatts (101 horsepower), 75+40 kilowatts (101+54 horsepower), 160 kilowatts (215 horsepower) and 160+40 kilowatts (215+54 horsepower). The "+" signs indicate the presence of two electric motors.

Wang said BYD wants to build up its brand name in the U.S. by offering one of its most advanced cars, the five-seat e6 pictured here, before eventually expanding its offerings.

He said the company plans to pick a specific region within the U.S. and initially market "a few hundred" e6s, priced at slightly more than $40,000, through a small number of dealers.

"In the beginning, our target customers are going to be government agencies, utilities and maybe some celebrities," Wang said, according to the Journal. He added that BYD hopes to enter Europe with a similar strategy in 2011 or later.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 24, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, China, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric
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July 31, 2009

Buffett Fund Earns $1 Billion From $230 Million, 10-Month Investment in BYD

Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate holding company chaired by Midwestern moneyman Warren Buffett, has earned $1 billion in paper profits on $230 million the company agreed to invest in Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD only 10 months ago.

On Thursday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission granted approval for the transaction, which gave Berkshire a 9.89 percent stake in BYD. The company's shares closed today at HK$42.90, valuing Berkshire's stake at HK$9.65 billion, or about $1.25 billion.

As we reported last September, Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway, paid $230 million for a 10 percent interest in BYD (Build Your Dreams), reportedly to help push the Chinese company's environmentally friendly automotive technologies.

Since then, shares in the Chinese car and battery maker quintupled.

Berkshire agreed to the stake in BYD three days after deciding to buy $5 billion of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. preferred shares, despite the then-pervasive market turmoil after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s bankruptcy.

Warrants attached to the Goldman investment have since generated a $2 billion paper profit for Berkshire.

Buffett is the world's second-richest person, after Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Berkshire director Bill Gates, according to Forbes magazine.

Founded in Shenzhen in 1995 as a maker of rechargeable batteries, BYD expanded into mobile phones and electric and hybrid automobiles such as the one pictured above.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 31, 2009, 11:14 AM
Categories:: BYD, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Berkshire Hathaway

July 22, 2009

U.S. Energy Dept. Awards $47 Million in Recovery Act Funding for EV Smart Grids

Also: Illinois, Colorado, Austria announce plans to invest heavily in plug-in infrastructures.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

When it rains, it often pours. That's certainly the case now, as the U.S. Department of Energy, the states of Illinois and Colorado, and an Austrian utility all announced in recent days that they will invest many millions of dollars to create recharging networks for electric vehicles.

That's wonderful news, because it brings electric-vehicle makers and potential EV makers a step closer to solving one of the two major problems they face: That being a lack of infrastructure to support pure EVs and plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

The other problem remains development of inexpensive, safe, reliable, lightweight and energy-rich batteries to power the vehicles. Many companies and governments are working on a solution to that problem.

The Energy Department on Monday awarded $47 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to eight ongoing smart-grid demonstration projects. The $47 million investment will add to the $17 million in funds DOE had awarded these eight projects last year, thereby accelerating the timelines for the projects.

Most of the projects relate to technologies to help transmission and distribution systems operate better, but a few are directly related to clean energy. For example, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, will research, develop and demonstrate a coordinated and integrated system of mixed clean energy technologies and distributed energy resources, allowing the city to reduce its peak electrical demand by at least 15 percent.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago will focus on implementing distributed energy resources and creating demand-responsive microgrids, which are small power networks that can operate independently of the utility power grid. In addition, the University of Hawaii will explore the management of its electrical distribution system to better accommodate wind power.

The Energy Department also just released the first Smart Grid System Report, which examines smart-grid deployments nationwide. The findings show that while many smart-grid capabilities are just beginning to emerge, the adoption of various technologies such as smart metering, automated substation controls and distributed generation are growing significantly.

The report also notes that smart-grid capabilities are socially transformational. As with the Internet or cell phone communications, smart-grid technologies have the potential to dramatically change how we experience electricity in the country, but improvements in physical and cyber security and information privacy will require consumers, manufacturers and utilities to closely follow a range of best practices for the smart grid.

Additionally, the Energy Department has begun the development of a Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse, tapping Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for the $1.3 million initiative to develop and maintain the clearinghouse Website, which will provide information to the public about smart-grid initiatives happening nationwide. The Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse was mandated by the Recovery Act.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 22, 2009, 12:16 PM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

June 25, 2009

General Motors Reportedly to Build Chevrolet Volt in China Beginning in 2011

UPDATE: GM denies this report.

General Motors will build the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car in China beginning in 2011 as part of the automaker's plan to roll out its revolutionary technology in a wide variety of vehicles around the world, AutoBeat Asia (subscription required) reports today.

All Volts built in China are to be sold there, according to the newsletter.

But the Volt's chief spokesperson, Rob Peterson, in an email sent to Green Car Advisor minutes ago, wrote:

"The Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera will be produced at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant. There are currently no plans to build the Chevrolet Volt outside of the United States at this time. (Note: Volt launches late 2010 in U.S., Ampera launches in caledar year 2011, Volts produced in D-Hamtramck are exported to China in calendar year 2011.)"

Outside the U.S., the Volt will be marketed as the Holden Volt, the Opel Ampera and the Vauxhall Ampera.

As we've previously reported, the Chinese government is aggressively promoting electric and hybrid vehicles as a way to reduce oil consumption and improve air quality in the country's polluted cities. So AutoBeat Asia's report wasn't far-fetched, even if it proved to be wrong.

China wants to have 60,000 alternative-fuel vehicles on the road by 2012, up from virtually none today. Most of the vehicles will be hybrids, but the government is eager to promote pure electric vehicles.

Earlier this year, China's BYD Auto brought its Volt-like plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to the Detroit Auto Show, beating the local automakers to market by a year or more.

Fortunately for the Detroit 3, BYD's market right now is limited to China, and after the company unveiled its F3DM PHEV to North America. BYD has since announced that it doesn't intend to export the vehicle to America until 2011.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 25, 2009, 11:14 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, BYD, Chevrolet, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
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May 26, 2009

VW, BYD to Explore Ways to Team Up on Plug-In Hybrid and All-Electric Vehicles

VW-&-BYD.jpg Volkswagen AG will consider forming a partnership with China's BYD Auto in the area of hybrids and zero-emissions all-electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, Europe's largest carmaker said on Monday.

The announcement comes exactly one month after we reported that BYD and VW confirmed that they will cooperate on the development of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Volkswagen is the first major industrial partner for BYD, a battery specialist and the fledgling maker of the F6DM plug-in hybrid. Last September, BYD sold a 10 percent stake to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway for $230 million.

"Particularly for the Chinese market, potential partners such as BYD could support us in quickly expanding our activities," Ulrich Hackenberg, head of research and development at the VW brand, said in a statement.

In addition to Volkswagen, BYD is also talking to Ford Motor Co. and another European automaker about similar arrangements, The Wall Street Journal reported today (subscription required), citing people familiar with the VW-BYD negotiations.

The status of those negotiations, however, was not immediately clear. "We are always in discussions with many suppliers as a standard course of our business, but we have nothing to share at this time," Whitney Small, a Ford spokeswoman in Bangkok, told the Journal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 26, 2009, 7:51 AM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, China, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
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April 27, 2009

China's BYD Auto And Volkswagen Reportedly Have A Battery Deal In Place

China's BYD Auto and Volkswagen have confirmed that they will cooperate on the development of lithium iron phosphate batteries. That's according to Gasgoo.com, which based its account on a recent story in the Beijing News.

"BYD is willing to cooperate with foreign automakers on iron battery development," BYD sales manager Wang Jianjun reportedly told the newspaper, which added that BYD is "in talks with a number of foreign companies on supplying them with battery products."

Iron-phosphate is one of several battery technologies that the automobile industry is developing. The technology offers a relatively low-cost alternative to other types of lithium-ion batteries.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 27, 2009, 11:20 AM
Categories:: BYD, China, Hybrid, Japan, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
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April 9, 2009

Nissan Reportedly Will Create Electric-Vehicle Program in Large Chinese City

Add Nissan to the list of automakers (including Chongqing Changan Auto, BYD, Brilliance, Chery, Dongfeng and SAIC) that are intent upon plugging into the rough-and-tumble Chinese market for hybrid-electric and battery-electric cars.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Nissan is negotiating with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to create a pilot electric-vehicle program in Wuhan, a city in central China with nine million residents.

The deal is unusual, the Journal reports, because Beijing typically doesn't forge such partnerships with foreign companies. The newspaper reported that the deal, which calls for Nissan to contribute cars and help create a recharging network, could be completed as soon as Friday.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 9, 2009, 11:49 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BYD, Chery, China, China, Dongfeng, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chinese Hybrids

March 16, 2009

Car Shoppers in China, Just Like Here, Finding It Expensive to Be Green

It's not easy being green, particularly when vehicle manufacturers worldwide are singing the blues and clamoring for sales-tax breaks to help move less-expensive conventionally-powered cars and trucks off of dealer lots.

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Green cars like BYD Autos' plug-in hybrid aren't moving well in China's slow economy.
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That's true even in China, one of the world's largest car markets.

Their country remains an attractive long-term market for new-energy vehicles but at present, Chinese consumers are hard-pressed to pay a premium for a green car.

Chinese automakers, though, are scrambling to produce advanced technology cars and trucks in the wake of a central government edict that calls for 60,000 green vehicles to be on the roads by 2012. To help move them off dealers' lots, Beijing is offering subsidies of up to $36,500 to consumers in big cities who buy hybrid, electric cars and fuel-cell vehicles.

The subsidies were created because although the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and the domestically produced BYD F3DM are on sale, Chinese consumers bought fewer than 1,000 hybrids in 2008. To put that figure into context, consider that Toyota's combined U.S. sales of its Prius and Lexus models recently passed the one million mark.

Henry Li, general manager for BYD Auto, bemoaned the situation to the Reuters news agency during a recent interview at the firm's Shenzhen headquarters: "I hope government subsidies can help boost demand, because this is good technology, though expensive compared to conventional cars."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell March 16, 2009, 11:08 AM
Categories:: BYD, China, Fuel Cell, Green Vehicles, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
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February 23, 2009

China's Chery Unveils Electric Vehicle; S18 Minicar Will Sell for Less Than $15,000

Chery Automobile has unveiled its first self-developed plug-in electric vehicle, the S18, and the Chinese automaker has rival BYD squarely in its sights.

This news comes courtesy of our sister site, Edmunds.com's Inside Line. According to its report, the zero-emissions S18 is powered by a lithium-ion phosphate battery, can run up to 93 miles on one charge and has a maximum speed of 75 mph.

Chery said the battery can be fully charged in four to six hours using a standard household electrical outlet. Specially designed charging devices let owners get the car 80 percent charged in only 30 minutes.

A Chery official said the model will be on sale in the market within a year, priced at about $14,600. The first vehicles will be provided to government institutions for trial use.

Chery, which launched a prototype hybrid last month that could save up to 10 percent on fuel consumption, also plans to launch a midlevel hybrid this year.

Chinese carmakers are racing to launch new-energy vehicles in the wake of a central government decision to put 60,000 new-energy vehicles on the roads nationwide by 2012. To that end, the government is offering subsidies of up to $36,500 to consumers to encourage them to buy hybrid, electric and fuel-cell vehicles.

Besides Chery, nearly all of China's major automakers have invested heavily in new-energy vehicles. BYD launched the world's first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, the F3DM, in December.

Only time will tell which Chinese EV will make it to the U.S. first.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett February 23, 2009, 12:05 PM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, Chery, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
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February 10, 2009

China Says It Will Offer Subsidies to Buyers of Hybrid Cars, Trucks and Buses

China has taken steps in recent years to change its reputation as a mass polluter to an environmentally sensitive country.

Its efforts started with a massive Beijing clean-up operation for the Olympics, followed by a $175 billion countrywide clean-up and the closure of some particularly dirty coal power plants.

Soon the country will offer subsidies to the residents and businesses of 13 large cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, who purchase hybrid cars, trucks and buses, or vehicles that run on electricity, liquefied petroleum gas or compressed natural gas.

If the subsidy program succeeds, it might be extended to the rest of China.

Although the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and the domestically produced and recently released BYD F3DM are available in China, fewer than a 1,000 hybrids cars were sold in 2008.

That number will likely change as China produces more hybrids, which are much less expensive than the Japanese hybrids. The size of the subsidies have yet to be announced.

So far, only two Chinese carmakers - Dongfeng Motor and Great Wall Motor (its Kunna EV is pictured) - have announced plans to make electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett February 10, 2009, 1:37 PM
Categories:: BYD, Chery, Dongfeng, Emissions, Great Wall, Honda, Hybrid, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: BYD F3DM

January 12, 2009

Detroit Auto Show: BYD Says It Plans to Bring Its Electric Sedan to U.S. in 2011

China's BYD Auto brought its Chevy Volt-like plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to the Detroit Auto Show, beating the local automakers to market by a year or more.

Fortunately for the Detroit 3, BYD's market right now is limited to China, and after the company unveiled its F3DM PHEV to North America today, it announced that it doesn't intend to export the vehicle to America until 2011.

Is that to give Detroit automakers a chance to catch up? Don't bet on it.

Other than announcing its targeted U.S. launch date, BYD did not divulge any information today that we didn't include in a report last month.

However, Reuters reported today that BYD's chairman said in an interview Sunday that BYD is open to licensing the low-cost ferrous-iron battery in the F3DM. Chairman Wang Chuan-Fu was quoted as saying that BYD has had interest in the battery from Japanese, European and U.S. carmakers.

BYD Auto was founded in 2003 by the BYD Group, which was founded in 1995 to produce batteries. Since then BYD Group has grown from a small factory of 20 employees to a leading global battery-maker employing 130,000 people.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett January 12, 2009, 3:33 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, BYD, Batteries, Chevrolet, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
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January 9, 2009

Detroit Auto Show Forecast: Gloomy, But With Flurries of Green

(Note: Article updated after initial posting to include Lexus hybrid)

The upcoming North American International Auto Show in snowy Detroit - media preview days begin Sunday and the show opens to the public on Jan. 17 - is likely to be a pretty glum affair, what with the auto industry imploding and the prospect of many people really being interested in buying a new car right now ranking right up there with being interested in having wisdom teeth pulled sans anesthesia.

But carmakers are trying, and what most are trying hardest with is fuel efficiency and alternatives to the thirsty, greenhouse-gas spewing cars and trucks of the past.

Oh, there will be speedsters and factory-built hot rods on display at the show - Ford Motor Co., for example, will unveil the 540-horsepower 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustang and Audi will be showing a 525-horsepower, V10-version of its exotic R8 sports car.

But most attention will be focused on advanced technology cars such as the 2010 Prius hybrid (right) and the battery-electric city car concept that Toyota will show, Honda's Prius-fighting 2009 Insight hybrid and concepts such as the all-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel -cell electric trio, collectively called Concept Zero, that Mercedes-Benz will unveil.

Beyond the cars, the show's media preview will spotlight industry executives who will be delivering news about their companies' green futures.

Most notably, Toyota is expected to outline its hybrid and electric-vehicle strategies for the next few years and Ford is expected to discuss its plans for a stable of future EVs, starting with a commercial truck it plans to launch in 2010.

Green Car Advsior, along with Edmunds Auto Observer, Edmunds Inside Line and Edmunds.com, will be covering the show 's media days and bringing you timely reports, but we thought we'd also offer a preview today of the major green vehicles that will be displayed and discussed.

Green Preview

So, by manufacturer, here they are:

Audi
Volkswagen's upscale stablemate is expected to announce plans for its upcoming U.S. diesel lineup. So far, the company has said it will launch a 3-liter diesel version of its Q7 SUV (right) later this year and has broached the possibility of a diesel A4. We'll know more after Audi's Sunday afternoon press conference.

BMW
The pride of Bavaria will discuss the X5 and 3-Series diesels it plans to bring to the U.S., perhaps supplying us with some performance and fuel economy numbers as well as a marketing time-line.

Chevrolet
Nothing big here, unless the General decides to announce the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid's pricing and/or the battery suppliers.

The Chevy vehicle that gets officially introduced at the show is the redesigned 2010 Equinox crossover (right), which will come with a new six-speed automatic and a fuel-efficient, direct-injection four-banger expected to deliver 182 horsepower (almost as much as the '08 model's base V6) and highway fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon.

Chrysler
The company has three brands that it has tied together for car show purposes with a trio of concept electric vehicles.

Chrysler EV trio - 300.JPG Those to be displayed in Detroit are further refined versions of the Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EVs originally unveiled last September and first shown publicly at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November.

By brand, they are the Chrysler EV, an extended-range electric version of the town and Country minivan; the Jeep EV, a gas-electric Wrangler; and the Dodge EV, a Lotus-based, bumblebee-striped battery-electric sports car that would look great in the garage next to an electric Tesla Roadster.

Chrysler has said that it will bring one of the cars to market in 2010, but hasn't said which or in what kind of numbers. Maybe that's what we'll hear at the show.

Fisker
The nascent plug-in-hybrid company headed by, and named for, noted auto designer Henrik Fisker (BMW, Aston Martin, Fisker Coachbuild), will show the production version of it first proposed vehicle, the Fisker Karma sports sedan (right) that it unveiled to great interest at last year's Detroit show. Fisker also will unveil a new version - a convertible, we suspect - caled the Karma S.

Like the Chevy Volt, the Karma uses an on-board internal combustion engine to generate power to keep its electric motors turning the wheels.

Ford
We expect a discussion of the company's electric vehicle strategy, perhaps with a teaser glimpse or two of potential future offerings and a look at the commercial truck the company has said it will launch in 2010.

Honda
The news here will be the unveiling of the production version 2009 Insight hybrid (right) , a sub $20,000, five-seater Honda hopes will finally, finally, pump its hybrid sales up into Prius territory.

We're expected to hear a lot of technical detail and, perhaps, even a firmer price for the car, which looks in pictures a bit like the Prius it's designed to battle.

Lexus
Toyota's luxury unit will reveal its first stand-alone hybrid model, a small car that is based off the upcoming 2010 Prius.

Although it is not unusual - its pretty common, even - for photos of new models to leak out before their official unveiling, the best we've been able to come up with for the new Lexus hybrid is this rendering (left) published in a Japanese auto magazine a few months ago.

Mercedes-Benz
The covers will come off a trio of EV concepts from Daimler's luxe brand. All use the same swoopy, sport wagon-ish body (below right) - a design that also shows where Mercedes is heading with the compact B-Class replacement due in 2010 and, perhaps, headed for the U.S.

The so-called Concept Zero family consists of the E-Cell, a battery-electric with a range of about 60 miles; the E-Cell Plus, a plug-in hybrid that uses a 3-cylinder gas engine-generator to extend the range of its batteries when the initial charge is depleted (think Chevy Volt), and the F-Cell, which uses a hydrogen fuel-cell to produce electricity on-board by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel-cell stack. Range is about 125 miles. Mercedes says the E-Cell Plus can go almost 400 miles on an overnight battery charge and a tank of gas.

Toyota
The company whose name has become synonymous with 'hybrid" is introducing the redesigned 2010 Prius at the show, but photos of the car leaked out weeks ago and you've got to believe that anyone who's interested has already seen it. What will be news, of course, are the specifications and performance numbers.

The other biggie on the product front from Toyota will be the unveiling of a concept electric vehicle, probably called the FT-EV if the company's previous auto show naming practices prevail (that would stand for "future technology-electric vehicle").

The car, believed to be built on a current Toyota subcompact chassis, is the company's effort to give us a look at what a Toyota-built battery-electric EV for short-range urban driving might look like if the company does, as it has said it would, put an EV into its retail fleet in 2012.

Not The End

And, of course - Detroit being Detroit - there likely will be a surprise or two. So consider this list a starter, not a definitive catalog.

China's BYD, for instance, will be there with the plug-in-hybrid (left) it launched in its home market a few weeks ago, beating the big boys like GM and Toyota to the punch by a matter of, oh, a year or two. Who knows what the company - whose name is an acronym for Build Your Dreams and whose future is being backed by investment whiz Warren Buffett - will do next? We might find out as the Detroit show rolls along.

We'll be back when media days begin on Sunday to keep you up-to-date.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell January 9, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, BYD, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Detroit Auto Show

January 5, 2009

China's BYD to Showcase Production Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicle at Detroit Show

China's BYD Auto will showcase the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle at next week's Detroit auto show, according to a report in China Automotive Review .

The five-year-old automaker began selling the dual-mode hybrid in China last month -- at least a full year before rivals General Motors and Toyota bring electric-powered vehicles to market. BYD Auto has said it plans to sell the F3DM PHEV in North America in two or three years.

The F3DM, which was unveiled to reporters at BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen last month, can travel 62 miles using only batteries, BYD Auto claims. After that, a 1.0-liter all-aluminum gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for the vehicle's battery pack, which in turn powers the vehicle's 75-kilowatt electric motor.

The midsize sedan sells for about $21,700. BYD Auto attributes its ability to offer the F3DM at about half the estimated price of GM's comparable Chevrolet Volt PHEV, due out in 2010, to a breakthrough development in battery technology.

Parent company BYD, which is the No. 1 supplier of lithium-ion batteries for cell phones, is now able to produce a high-performance ferrous-based lithium-ion battery on an industrial scale, company Vice President Lian Yubo said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett January 5, 2009, 8:19 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, BYD, Batteries, China, China, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery

December 15, 2008

Chinese Automaker BYD Unveils the World's First Mass-Produced Plug-In Hybrid

Chinese automaker BYD Co. today unveiled the world's first mass-produced plug-in gas-electric hybrid, with domestic sales to begin this month -- at least a full year before rivals such as Toyota and General Motors bring electric-powered vehicles to market.

The F3DM, which was unveiled to reporters at BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen, can travel 62 miles using only batteries, BYD said in a statement. Though essentially an electric car, the F3DM also has a small gasoline engine that is used to generate electricity if the battery runs dry.

The company, which is China's largest battery maker, said the car will be priced at less than 150,000 yuan, or about $22,000. That's toward the low end of the price range for a typical midsize sedan in China.

The F3DM's batteries can be fully recharged from a regular household outlet in as little as seven hours and 50 percent powered via a quick charge at a specialist station in 10 minutes, BYD said. The car also has a gasoline engine as a backup power source.

BYD began marketing the F3DM to cab operators and other potential fleet customers earlier this month and plans to have the car in showrooms by the end of the year. The company, which expects to sell as many as 10,000 F3DMs in China next year, plans to bring the F3DM to the U.S. market as early as the second half of 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett December 15, 2008, 9:40 AM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, Chevrolet, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: BYD F3DM

December 9, 2008

Oregon Turns to China, Japan and Buffett in Bid to Be Primary U.S. EV Launch State

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski's recent sweep through China and Japan appears to have paid dividends for his bold bid to make his state America's primary launching pad for electric cars, according to an article published today by Climate Wire (subscription required).

Kulongoski (pictured), a two-term Democrat, went to Asia last month with the express purpose of attracting Asian carmakers to Oregon. He returned with a deal in hand from Nissan Motor Co. to provide electric vehicles to the state fleet starting in 2010 and a tentative commitment from a fledgling Chinese company to start a pilot program in Oregon.

And while the deal with Nissan and related talks with Toyota Motor Co. may have won the governor the most press, the meetings with BYD Auto Co., a Chinese battery manufacturer turned electric-car outfit, may ultimately do more to position Oregon as a leader in the low-emission vehicle market.

"We want Oregon to be the launch site for electric cars," Jillian Schoene, a Kulongoski aide who traveled with the governor through Asia and took part in meetings with BYD, told Climate Wire. "These car companies knew that about us before we walked into their door."

BYD, which stands for "Build Your Dreams," is shopping for a U.S. pilot site to roll out its hybrid plug-in sedan, the F3DM, which goes on the market in China in less than two weeks. Oregon could emerge as the ideal test market, given Kulongoski's vision of charging stations every 60 miles on the highway, not to mention Pacific Power's direct connection to the Chinese battery maker.

The utility, based in Redmond, Oregon, is owned by a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, which bought a 10 percent stake in BYD this fall for $230 million. That relationship could propel the Portland area past Los Angeles, the other U.S. city in the running for the project.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 9, 2008, 6:37 PM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, Chevrolet, China, Courts, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: BYD Auto

November 12, 2008

China Tells Automakers to Go Electric, Suggests "Incapable" Carmakers Shut Down

China's National Development and Reform Commission has urged the mainland's major carmakers to co-operate in making electric cars, while suggesting "incapable" carmakers leave the industry, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday (subscription required).

"Hybrid vehicles should be just the transition before local carmakers can manufacture their own electric cars or plug-in hybrids," said Chen Jianguo, a deputy head of the industrial co-ordination department of the NDRC, at a vehicle conference in Tianjin over the weekend.

The central government is considering ways to assist the industry, including subsidies to explore new technology and raising the consumption tax for large gas-engine vehicles, the Post reported.

Chen said it's "possible for the government to give a hand financially if carmakers can hand in good proposals with good quantitative analyses."

At the conference, Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang said the ministry would work with the NDRC and the Finance Ministry to promote hybrid vehicles starting next year. At first, the emphasis will be on the country's public transport, taxis and postal vehicles.

Chen suggested "incapable" carmakers, which are recording low sales or have high inventory and poor distribution networks, should sell off or shut down their business.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 12, 2008, 9:46 AM
Categories:: BYD, Buick, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
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October 29, 2008

China's BYD, Bolstered by Berkshire Hathaway, to Sell Plug-In Hybrid in U.S. by 2010

Chinese automaker BYD is planning to have plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles on sale in the United States by 2010, with similar ambitions for the European market, according to Motor Authority .

The plan is backed by a $230 million investment from a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, an American insurance and investment company. It's chief executive, chairman and largest shareholder is Warren Buffett, one of the richest men on Earth.

The company is "talking to some third-party consulting and engineering companies to get a thorough understanding of the safety standards" in the U.S., which will be integral in the vehicle's success into breaking into that market, the publication reported, citing BYD's general manager for exports.

While its American ambitions may be bold, BYD is still in the early stages of development; the company does not currently sell a hybrid in its home market or anywhere else.

BYD has not yet confirmed which model or models will be getting the hybrid powertrain, but the F3 sedan (pictured) -- BYD's best-selling model -- is the most likely candidate.

As we reported earlier this month, BYD, a company best-known for making cellphone batteries, reportedly is on the verge of launching China's first mass-produced plug-in battery-electric car.