Beijing 2008: BYD e6 electric MPV, possible production EV in two years
This week in Beijing, BYD will unveil the e6, an EV crossover/MPV concept that looks a lot like the JDM Honda Odyssey. Unlike the Honda, however, the e6 runs on battery power only, with a reported range of 300km (186 miles) on a full charge. The battery pack, presumably lithium-ion, can be charged via a 220V household outlet or attached to a quick-charger that delivers an 80 percent charge in fifteen minutes. Performance-wise, the e6 is capable of acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mpg) in ten seconds and has a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). The battery pack is stored beneath the car's rear seats, a position BYD says provides the best protection in the event of a crash. According to the company, the e6 could reach production within two years. We'll keep an eye out for updates as the show gets underway next week.
[Sources: Autoblog Chinese, Autoblog Spanish]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark 12:36PM (4/17/2008)
I bet these won't be coming to North America at all..
Reply
mycomya 2:00PM (4/17/2008)
Gee, another electric wondercar concept with unrealistic specs, coming out in two years. Yawn.
Reply
Dave 2:38PM (4/17/2008)
It appears from what I read that 2010 is the magical year that many manufacturers are slated to launch EV's. I hope that happens and they are affordable, for the most part. I am waiting on buying another car because I don't want a Hybrid and don't want to pay the additional cost since it currently doesn't make sense. I can't wait for a fast affordable EV!
Reply
Tim 2:59PM (4/17/2008)
This is the way the auto industry is heading and it's encouraging. The pace will quicken as oil prices increase. I’m hearing predictions of $200/bbl or more by 2010 or about $8.00/gal retail in the US for regular unleaded. We’ll see..
Reply
kert 3:49PM (4/17/2008)
::It appears from what I read that 2010
Again, 2009 is the promised launch year by two major manufacturers.
Reply
Dave 4:42PM (4/17/2008)
Who are the two manufactures that will be producing EV's in volume in 2009?
Reply
kert 4:44PM (4/17/2008)
Both Mitsubishi and Subaru are aiming for 2009, MiEV and R1e. Both are in fleet testing now.
You read autobloggreen, dont you ?
http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/miev
Reply
Kevin Nugent 6:52PM (4/17/2008)
2010 is the magical year for autos. I think 2010 will be the best year for auto shows because all companies are showing there ev's and best technology
Reply
Chris M 2:45AM (4/18/2008)
I must disagree, mycomya, those specs sound reasonable and easily obtained with LiIon batteries and good engineering, considering that other EVs have already exceeded those specs.
Tesla started production this year, and a few more plug-in makers will start production in 2009, and a lot more in 2010 and 2011. The electric revolution is underway!
Reply
BlackbirdHighway 7:57AM (4/18/2008)
I don't see anything about the specs that is unrealistic. The big question is the price. I would be realatively easy to make this vehicle at an $80,000 price point, but the market would like to see it around $30,000. That's a big gap that needs to get filled in somehow.
Probably the price will get down to about $55,000, and the price of gasoline will climb to the point where that will be seen as a good price to pay for an electric. Hope that doesn't happen by 2010, because that would mean somewhere around $8 for gas.
Reply
blackstripe77 11:25AM (4/18/2008)
Nice JDM Honda Odyssey headlights.
Reply
Mike 12:05PM (4/24/2009)
What is certain about Warren Buffet's purchased lithium- Iron- phosphate battery powered China produced BYD E6 manufacturer's rep claim of 294 mile driving range on one charge, acceleration less than 8.0 seconds to 60 mph, rechargable to 50 % in a few minutes with full charge in one hour, no excess heat production and no degradation after repeated recharges, said to be produced here in 2011?
Reply
steve 7:12PM (5/26/2009)
Warren Buffet has a 10% share in the company that is producing the E6, a Chinese company called BYD. They are world leaders in Li ion battery production and that is where most of the cost of an EV is. BThe actual specs of the e6 arent as good as are being thrown around but the price should be around but the rumour is that in the UK at least the price tag will be around 20k. Coupled with the fact that the UK and USA government are offering insentives to purchase EV's (around £5k or $7.5k) the e6 looks very attractive and affordable
Reply