REPORT: BYD still having technical troubles with plug-in cars
2009 BYD F3DM - Click above for high-res image gallery
One of BYD's problems is that it F3DM plug-in hybrid is not exactly super popular. Another, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, is that the upcoming e6 all-electric car – due to go on sale of the U.S. next year – is currently "rough" and "squishy." These are the thoughts of an unnamed "tech chief of a global automaker" who recently drove the car. He added that he was "truly astonished that they plan to sell such a half-baked car" in China later this year. This might just have been a business opponent trying to talk down a competitor's product, but the WSJ noted that, "BYD doesn't have a good track record in keeping promises on product launches, and some industry observers suspect there may be technical glitches plaguing its green cars." Is this the kind of car people will want to spend $40,000+ on?
[Source: Wall Street Journal via HybridCars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Randy S 7:11PM (10/28/2009)
I saw the BYD car on display last year at the Detroit auto show and it was a piece of shit..... really, it was made out of shit, I'm not kidding! :)
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rbtp 11:47PM (10/28/2009)
You are absolutely right, I just saw it a couple of weeks ago at the AltCar Expo and I could tell from just looking at the interior that the quality was absolute crap. Just really obvious stuff like cheap looking materials and crooked stitching on the upolstery.
Besides the quality, the car is just plain ugly.
Randy S 12:15AM (10/29/2009)
rbtp, Yeah I meant what I said.
I remember looking underneath the car and there was a bracket mounted with some fresh bolts and wires that looked like it was done aftermarket by someone in their garage, a total home job, all the panel lines looked crooked with big gaps. I didn't look at it long, just enough to laugh and gasp, and keep on walking
Did you notice they stuffed batteries under all the seats including the drivers and there was a big bulge in the floor sticking out from under the drivers seat by 4-5 inches so you couldn't bring your legs up very far when on cruise, assuming it had cruise.
After all the hype I heard, with Warren Buffet, I was really surprised at how shit it was!
There's that word again, sorry Serge.
Serge 9:39AM (10/29/2009)
Hey, Randy. The pictures of F3DM I saw on Chinese forums sure didn't look like Mini E (which some will argue was a bit of a hack job itself). I'm glad you had an opportunity to see it for yourself and post some thoughts here. Rumors aren't worth much, first hand accounts are golden ;)
Serge 7:16PM (10/28/2009)
Could these comments be made by a tech chief at one of Japanese automakers regularly poo-pooing EVs while singing praises to their mythical HFCV? What is the reason he/she decided to remain anonymous? Didn't want to be embarrassed if/when BYD delivers on a product that sells?
Secondly, why does ABG engage in trash journalism instead of actually approaching BYD and asking for a ride?
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Chris H. 10:42PM (10/28/2009)
Answer to question #2: "It's easier..."
Mark Kiernan 4:17AM (10/29/2009)
I understand if the car is sluggish or has transmission problems, but the interior and components inside? Do car makers not even drive cars, five minutes sitting in a Toyota or Ford will tell you what you have to reproduce? Have people never sat in an average car and seen what it is like?
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skierpage 4:34AM (10/29/2009)
The math on the BYD e6 doesn't add up.
A range of 400 km and consumption of 18kWh per 100 km implies a 72 kWh battery pack, which will be the largest in any production electric car. BYD mentioned a smaller 48 kWh battery pack for the e6 at its debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show.
and they think they can sell it at a price just over $40,000. Even BYD Batteries sells BYD Automotive that huge battery pack at a loss, there's little money for the derivative body and a cheap interior.
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Serge 9:55AM (10/29/2009)
Calculations I did at TMC also point to a 72.5 kWh pack. Thundersky LiFePO4 retail in the U.S. for around $440/kWh. I'll bet you a pretty penny that BYDB can sell BYDA the battery at $200/kWh without loosing a dime. That's your $14,500 pack. Ok, let's be conservative and add $5,500 to packaging and wiring and a little profit for BYDB. Your ready to go pack is 20K. Now BYDA has to figure out how to spend another $20K on body, interior, power electronics, and electric motor and come out ahead. I think Buffet knows what he is doing ...
gorr 10:49AM (10/29/2009)
Basically the problem is politic, too much 'plans' ' complicated technology' . The best for now could be just a second tank accepting natural gas for bi-fuel technology gasoline and compressed natural gas. Then smarter folks can beat this technology without subsidies later-on. Serial battery-gasoline natural gas electric generator . Hydraulic pressure motor system recharging on the road with diesel or gasoline small pump and plugguable to a windmill at home to recharge the hydraulic tank. A windmill is the best because it work at night when the car are park usually and it cost less then solar panels. Imagine new york or minesota in winter, lot of wind and few sun.
I think that big oil and big capital have postpone everything out and just tease us with impossible hope like magic batteries. There been 50 billions spend for researchs in the last 4 years and nothing serious on the market.
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