REPORT: BYD pushes American EV launch ahead to 2010
BYD e6 electric MPV - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the Warren Buffet-backed Chinese automaker BYD has moved up its plans to sell a fully electric car right here in the United States next year. Interestingly, the automaker had originally planned to sell its first products here in the U.S. in 2010 before delaying that projection by a year. The new announcement puts BYD back on track for its initial target of 2010 and, perhaps not coincidentally, in line with the launch of the new Nissan Leaf.
The first vehicle BYD intends to launch in the States is the five-seat e6 crossover, with a price of just over $40,000. Details on the car's launch are still slim at this point, but WSJ indicates it will be a limited to a few hundred vehicles in select markets. Expect the initial vehicles to go to "government agencies, utilities and maybe some celebrities," according to BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu.
Last we heard, the all-electric e6 was capable of accelerating to 100 km/h (62 mpg) in ten seconds with a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). Perhaps more importantly, the car's range has been quoted at 300km (186 miles) on a full charge of its lithium ion battery pack.
Gallery: BYD e6 electric MPV
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark Kiernan 8:37AM (8/23/2009)
I assume it will meet test crash reg. It is more expensive than I thought it would be but it is a crossover and meant to compete with the likes of the Volt and Leaf. The more the merrier.
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locoyocal 10:36AM (8/23/2009)
I think the manufacturers are sticking to $40k and just ramping up specs till they finally sell them.
oollyoumn 9:14AM (8/23/2009)
Great news! I can't wait to get rid of my 65mpg gas guzzler and get something without a gas tank. Hopefully there will be even for EV choices by then. The Volt is quickly becoming a distant memory.
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Nick P. 9:16AM (8/23/2009)
If these guys can manage to launch in North-America, they could be even more disruptive than Nissan. Imagine US, Japanese and German automakers being upstaged by a *new* Chinese manufacturer -- one that specializes in *batteries* no less.
Should BYD even moderately succeed, Toyota and Honda would be seen as old industrialists unable to cope with the future. Kind of like Sony vs all the Korean & Chinese consumer electronic players.
With one investment, Warren Buffet could have in fact changed the whole auto industry.
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Wanted 9:20AM (8/23/2009)
I can't see myself working with that shifter, put it somewhere else. Nor can I see myself looking at the middle of the dash so I can know how fast I'm going. Speedometer - behind steering wheel. Not that difficult a concept.
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Nick P. 9:43AM (8/23/2009)
They do this to reduce the cost of producing left vs right-handed drive cars. If that helps them get the car in North-America faster, all all for it. Not a deal-breaker.
BTW, their cars look bland but much better than the Coda or even the LEAF in my opinion. They obviously haven't received the memo saying that all EVs must look weird...
NeilBlanchard 1:16PM (8/23/2009)
Hi,
The shifter is in almost the same location as it is in the 2nd gen Prius -- it is easy to use. As to the location of the speedometer/instrument cluster -- I have a Scion xA with it in the center. It took a few days to get used to, but -- you do get used to it. No biggie...
Sincerely, Neil
Chris M 5:14PM (8/23/2009)
Well, a "shifter" seems a bit much for an EV, a simple switch would work as well. The old model Tesla Roadster used a shift knob, but the newer version switched to a simple and more elegant pushbutton arrangement.
Digital speedometer at front and center is the same design as the Prius uses, as was mentioned it reduces the cost of producing both right hand and left hand drive models, and it really is a convenient location, once you get used to it, as it is closer to your view out the windshield and is never blocked by the steering wheel spokes.
Lorena F. Palin 10:51AM (8/23/2009)
I read a review of the version they had in china, which said it drives like crap.
However, if they can bring the overall quality up without increasing price too much, or better yet sell the drivetrain components to somone who is better at making cars, it will be great.
At the very least it will provide some tough numbers for Chevy and Nissan to compete against. 186 mile range is enough for anyone. Chevy and Nissan WILL have to match, or come close to matching, this number. If they do I might be fully sold on the whole electric car as the main solution thing
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:43AM (8/23/2009)
If 186 mile range was enough for everyone, then ICE cars wouldn't be sized with 300 mile-range gas tanks (as they are).
I do agree 186 mile range is a lot, but if it were enough for everyone, then Tesla wouldn't offer two longer-range packs for the Model S.
Bill 4:11PM (8/23/2009)
If it really is 186 miles (at more than 20 mph, i.e. a more realistic driving cycle)
No one's vetted BYD's claims yet.
Mel 1:17PM (8/24/2009)
I guess the range on an ICE car needs to be higher as it is harder to get them to refill their tank at home over night every night ;-))
Pudgie 10:59AM (8/23/2009)
This car is too big to be an efficient electric vehicle. Give me an electric version of the F3 or even the F0 and maybe I would be interested.
The best electric concept I have seen so far is Mitsubishi's i Miev Sport.
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Lorena Palin 11:20AM (8/23/2009)
Not necessarily. It is essentially a wagon or a minivan, which isn't that much heavier than a midsized 4 door car.
Pudgie 12:10PM (8/23/2009)
Its curbside weight is more than 4,400 pounds!
http://www.autosavant.com/2009/01/13/2009-detroit-auto-show-chinas-byd-auto-shows-dual-mode-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles/
That is too much weight for an efficient electric vehicle. Toyota is pursuing the right approach by making the iQ the basis of its electric vehicle (although the production version is supposed to get a unique body):
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.ASpx?AR=241909
john 12:42PM (8/23/2009)
Really, the weight doesn't make much difference for an EV. It's the CD that make the difference - at highway speeds drag accounts for the largest slice of power use in any vehicle.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:39AM (8/23/2009)
A few hundred vehicles in select markets. To celebrities. Ho hum.
Another PR stunt. Another company who is going to release an EV without even bothering to try to make a profit on it, instead it's just testing and to get their name up there next to celebs.
I actually pity any company that wants to make money off EVs or similar, like Tesla or perhaps even GM. With companies out there pricing cars as loss leaders to make the papers instead of to make a profit on them, it's going to make it more difficult for the companies who are trying to make an actual business of it to charge enough to cover their expenses.
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john 12:37PM (8/23/2009)
"If 186 mile range was enough for everyone, then ICE cars wouldn't be sized with 300 mile-range gas tanks (as they are)." Not quite - ICE cars have oversized gas tanks because they don't have the luxury that EVs have of topping off every night (unless the driver wants to become BFF with the gas station), plus the manufacturers can make the tanks big, so why not - unlike adding extra batteries, it doesn't raise the price or add any weight to speak of.
Ok, so there are a few people who would want more than 186 miles range, but even most of them won't *need* it. Almost nobody drives more than 186 miles non-stop...and for those few who do, I recommend a PHEV such as the Volt.
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why not the LS2LS7? 1:41PM (8/23/2009)
Of course larger gas tanks cost more and they add weight.
And gas tanks got to be the size they are because it seemed the customer was most comfortable with this range. Are you saying EVs don't have to meet customer expectations, instead the customer should change his expectations to meet what the car can provide? This is the same kind of thinking which makes people think the EV1 was killed instead of failing. You don't just need to make the car that fills peoples needs most of the time, you need to make a car that fits their perceived needs almost all of the time, then they will buy it.
Now you say that perhaps there are some people who need more than 186 miles range. That was exactly my point. Any particular reason you called me wrong and then said I was right in the same post?
john 3:54PM (8/23/2009)
Maybe you should read my post more carefully. I said the vast majority of people won't need more than 186 miles range, and I said the cost and weight penalty of a larger gas tank is marginal compared to the cost and weight penalty of a larger battery. I think adding extra batteries to an EV to extend the range past 186 miles would make the cost prohibitive, and for the vast majority of customers won't need that.