BYD announces F3DM hybrid and e6 EV models for US Market in 2011

Chinese automaker BYD Auto has announced it is planning to enter the US market in 2011 and will be then launching a product line of plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles.

The first two models BYD plans on introducing are the F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid sedan and the e6, a battery-powered mid-sized crossover with a single-charge range of 250 miles (400 km).

Speaking ambitiously on the floor of the Detroit auto show, Wang Chuanfu, President and Chariman of BYD Auto, said that the company would also be setting up manufacturing in the US "when it is appropriate".

BYD claims its Fe battery technology has a quick-charge capacity to 50 percent power in only 10 minutes. The battery also has a life cycle of more than 10 years.

The Fe battery will also be used in BYD's mid-size F6DM sedan, a plug-in hybrid. Plug-in hybrids can run on pure electrical power until the battery runs out when a gasoline engine kicks in and acts as a generator to create more power for the battery.

Lending confidence to BYD's prospects in the US market is legendary billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Last year the energy division of his investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, acquired a 10 percent stake in BYD Auto.

Press Release

BYD Auto Plans to Enter U.S. Market in 2011 With Extended-Range EVs

BYD Auto Company, one of China's top independent automobile manufacturers and a world leader in green technology, said it plans to enter the U.S. market in 2011 with a range of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

BYD's future lineup will include the F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid sedan, and the battery-powered e6, a mid-size five-passenger crossover vehicle with a remarkable range of up to 250 miles on a single charge.

Speaking from the floor of the North American International Auto Show at Detroit's Cobo Center, BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu also said the company plans to set up manufacturing facilities in the U.S. "when it is appropriate."

Underpinning the company's strategic vision of "green tech for tomorrow" is BYD's own Fe battery. The Fe battery is extremely safe, environmentally friendly and affordable. It can be quick-charged to 50% of capacity in only 10 minutes, and will have a life cycle of more than 10 years.

The Fe battery is used in the e6 electric crossover vehicle, as well as BYD's new Dual Mode family of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including the compact F3DM sedan and the mid-size F6DM sedan, which can run in either pure-electric or hybrid-electric mode.

At the Detroit conference, Wang was joined by David Sokol, chairman of MidAmerican Energy Holdings, the energy wing of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which last fall acquired a 10% stake in BYD Auto's parent company, BYD Company Ltd.

Sokol said, "We are working with BYD on developing charging technologies and infrastructure that would help promote plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. For the electric-vehicle market to mature, the underlying charging infrastructure and technologies must mature at least simultaneously, if not first. Perhaps like no other corporate entity in the world, we are in a position to help make that happen."

Sokol, who is a member of BYD's board of directors, also said MidAmerican Energy Holdings is working with BYD on demonstration projects that will allow the partners to store energy from such renewable sources as wind and solar, to be deployed into the grid when needed.