BYD Auto Co.of China has announced its plans to enter the U.S. and European markets by late 2008 or early 2009. The Chinese automaker is one of five that will be attending this year’s Detroit Auto Show and says it will be displaying plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
Hybrid and Electric plans
BYD currently only make gasoline-powered cars, but its parent company — BYD Co. — is one of the leading rechargeable-battery manufacturers in the world. “We will display all of our models in Detroit next year, and the battery car will be our highlight,†Xia Zhibing, BYD Auto’s sales general manager, told Automotive News. “We need to go to the top markets in the world.â€
BYD plans to bring a plug-in hybrid to market by late 2008 and an all-electric model by 2009. According to the company, its first plug-in hybrid model — the F6DM — will have a range of 267 miles, will be able to travel up to 62 miles on battery-power alone and will have a top speed of 99 mph. The battery pack will take 2,000 charges — the equivalent of 7-10 years of use — and will take about 9 hours to fully charge. However, BYD claims that a special power station can give the batteries a 50% charge after only 10 minutes.
Xia says the car will sell for about $26,700.
The company failed to release any details on its electric-only cars.
Batteries
BYD will use lithium iron phosphate batteries in its cars, a technology that has a spotty track record. According to one source, the batteries are “heavy, costly and difficult to mass-produce with consistent quality.” BYD officials admit that the batteries have not been tested by an independent third party. BYD could also face patent conflicts if it brings the batteries to the U.S.
Xia also stated that BYD plans to stop using internal combustion engines and make the switch to all-electric powertrains by 2015.
However, BYD’s bold claims should be taken with a grain of salt. The automaker has stated that it will be China’s largest by 2015, but is only on track to sell about 100,000 cars this year. In contrast, the largest automaker currently hailing from China — Chery — sold 300,000 units in 2006 and is on track to sell 800,000 in 2008.
