BYD to Sell Plug-In Electric Hybrid in China This Year, U.S. Later
While other manufacturers are only showing concept versions of plug-in hybrids they expect to offer in the future, BYD, a battery supplier that entered the auto business in 2003, announced at the Detroit auto show that its F6 DM plug-in electric hybrid car will go on sale in China in the fourth quarter of 2008 and arrive in the U.S. in three to five years.
BYD America vice president Michael Austin said the midsize sedan is capable of traveling up to 60 miles on battery power alone, and is supplemented by a gas engine when the battery is depleted or when traveling at higher speeds. The total range for the car, which has about a five-gallon gas tank, is about 250 miles.
The F6 DM’s iron phosphate battery has a usable life of 10 years, and the car can be plugged into a regular household outlet and charged in nine hours, Austin said. When the car is connected to a special charging station, Austin said it takes only 10 minutes to recharge the battery to 50 percent, giving the F6 DM the ability to travel about 30 miles on electric power. Austin says the F6 DM will be priced between $20,000 and $30,000 when it arrives in the U.S.
At first glance, the technology in the F6 DM appears to represent a significant powertrain development, but selling cars in the U.S. is a complex business that will likely take time for the Chinese to master, regardless of what’s under the hood. BYD is smart not to be rushing this car to the American market.
