BYD To Display their e6 and F3DM Models At Detroit Auto Show

The BYD e6 Crossover









The Chinese are beating the US to the marketplace with their all electric e6 and the plug-in hybrid F3DM. The F3DM is a hybrid that travels 62 miles before the generator kicks in, much like the Chevy Volt. Better yet, the car is to appear in US showrooms this coming May. If the price is close to the Chinese price of $21K, it will be a hit.

From Edmunds.com:

Three months after announcing its plan to sell an all-electric plug-in crossover - the e6, pictured - in the U.S. next year, China's BYD Auto announced today that it will display that vehicle and the company's F3DM dual-mode plug-in hybrid sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

Both vehicles are slated to go on sale in the U.S. in May 2010.

This won't be the first time the F3DM has appeared at the NAIAS, also known as the Detroit Auto Show. The world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle attended the 2009 NAIAS held last January, looking awfully smart between leggy models on a well-lit stage while elsewhere in the convention hall GM representatives could only talk about the PHEV they were working on, the Chevrolet Volt, which was still nearly two years away from entering production.

The F3DM can travel 62 miles using only batteries. After that, a 1.0-liter all-aluminum gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for the vehicle's battery pack. That makes it an extended-range electric vehicle, just like the upcoming Volt, which GM officials say can travel up to 40 miles in all-electric mode before its gas-fueled generator kicks in.

The midsize F3DM sells for about $21,700 in China, where it went on sale in December 2008. The U.S. price hasn't been announced. The Volt is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in December 2010 and cost about $40,000.

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.

The five-seat e6 is expected to sell for about $40,000 in the U.S.

The BYD Auto E6 Crossover Electric Vehicle

BYD, China's biggest battery maker, isn't wasting any time carving its niche in the new world of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. It all started with the F6DM plug-in hybrid sedan, followed by the smaller and less expensive F3DM plug-in hybrid compact car.

Now BYD has introduced its E6 electric car at the Beijing International Auto Show. It takes the shape of a crossover, or MPV, and will be built on on the F6's platform (same as the F6DM, which could be sold in Europe by 2010).

BYD E6 Electric Vehicle Specifications
So far, all we know is that the E6 will be a 5 seater with an acceleration of 0 to 100 kph of around 10 seconds. Top speed should be top speed of 160 kph (100 mph), and the battery pack, which is located under the rear passenger seats, will be based on BYD's own lithium-ion iron phosphate technology. Range per charge is expected to be 300 km (186 miles).

But most impressive of all:

"BYD projected the battery had a life of 2,000 cycles, for a lifetime range of about 600,000 km (373,000 miles)"

Wow! Even if that's just half true, it's still pretty good.

Charging of the battery will take the night with 220V, but the E6 electric car can also take a fast charge that can bring the battery to 80% SOC in about 15 minutes.

BYD says that it could start producing the E6 within two years. Another one to follow.

If I could only read Chinese, I would tell you more about the specifics.

BYD Auto is serious about alternate energy vehicles and hopefully we will see them for sale in the US in the not too distant future.

Source: Treehugger.com