Automotive

BYD e6 EV goes 205 miles between charges, coming to the US in 2010

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The pure-electric BYD e6, at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
Interior of the BYD e6
The pure-electric BYD e6
The pure-electric BYD e6
Charging outlet on the BYD e6
Charging outlet on the BYD e6
Interior of the BYD e6
Interior of the BYD e6
The pure-electric BYD e6
Interior of the BYD e6
The pure-electric BYD e6, at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
The pure-electric BYD e6, at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
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At last year’s North American International Auto Show, Chinese carmaker BYD introduced itself to the US with plans of selling cars there by 2011. Now they’re back at this year’s show, and have unveiled their new pure-electric car, the e6. Unlike some other electric vehicle manufacturers, BYD has actually been selling cars to real, live consumers for the past two years. In 2009, BYD sold 450,000 units in China, and expects to sell around 800,000 this year. The big news, however, is that they plan to start selling the e6 in North America in 2010 - a full year ahead of schedule.

With its roots in battery development, BYD has designed a new low-cost, high-energy battery for the e6. Called the Fe (As in ferrous) battery, it reportedly gives the e6 a range of 205 miles per charge, an estimated acceleration time of 0 to 60mph in under 14 seconds, and a top speed of 87mph... real-world performance, in other words. It can also be recharged from a household outlet, regaining 50 percent of its capacity in just ten minutes. The Fe battery even addresses the “What will we do with all these expired electric car batteries?” quandary, by containing nothing but completely recyclable chemicals. That having been said, BYD predicts that one battery should last for the lifetime of the car.

Because of its powerful battery, the car itself doesn’t need to be overly small and lightweight - the e6 can seat five passengers plus luggage, and is described as a family-oriented crossover vehicle.

BYD now has a US base in California, and the e6 is currently undergoing certification to allow it to be sold in that country. The company is also seeking a third party to help with the development of a network of charging stations. There’s no word yet on price, although operating costs should be about a third of those for a gasoline-powered car.

View gallery - 16 images
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12 comments
Reuben Richardson
Hmmm . \"... household outlet, regaining 50 percent of its capacity in just ten minutes.\" seems a little far fetched with a 205 mile range. How come every other EV company required a 2-8hrs to charge?
Reuben Richardson
I didn\'t think 380V / 100A was a standard household outlet? (Source http://www.byd.com/showroom.php?car=e6)
Tom Graham
Why would I drive a vehicle that has to be recharged every 200 miles? You cannot take a car like this on long trips because you never know when you will be able to stop and recharge. In a regular gasoline powered car or hybrid, you can stop at countless gas stations, fill up in less than 3 minutes and be on your way.
And, you cannot fit anything into a car that small anyway.
You have a long way to go...
George Wilson
can they do a right hand drive for the Australian market and what is the AU$ value
Craig Jennings
Ok Tom, don\'t buy one. Don\'t buy a Model A either, there aren\'t enough gas stations, what a stupid contraption, it\'ll never take off. Who knew closed minds log onto Gizmag too? I\'m giving 10:1 odds of misspelling \"Jizzmag\" and ending up here by mistake. Thanks Ben for the article, look forward to hearing more.
robinyatesuk2003
Craig,,, your comment is hilarious,,,,,,,,,,, \"Jizzmag !\",, so many people with their heads buried in the sand ( almost said their arse ),,,,really good to know there are lots of people who live with their eyes and ears open for new ideas and technology
Facebook User
Face it, most trips we make are under 30 miles. A car like this, can make a minimum of 3 round trips under those parameters. In most cases my use is under 10 miles (work, shopping, etc.), so a single charge would get me through an entire work-week.
For long trips out of town, rent a gasoline, diesel or hybrid powered vehicle.
mormak
The American Market has the benefit of owning a house and a garage. So charging for Americans will be so much easier. Where as here in CHina, almost everybody in major cities are living in apt buildings. For example, I live on the 13th floor.....a little hard to charge my car. Maybe parking garages at apt buildings should have a charging outlet at each parking spot. But one thing is certain, China is beginning to build charge stations. The problem is that it will still take 10 minutes per charge. So you could imagne how crowded it will get in a city with 10 million in population. Maybe BYD should add some mini wind turbines to the car, so that it recharges as the car moves : )
bio-power jeff
electric cars a good, but they will require a smart infrastructure in order to not cause power failures when multiple electric cars or plug in hybrids plug in at preferred times(for example:during evenings when most people will charge their cars).
heh. maybe im just saying this because im a bio fuel supporter.
Looks like a good car though. Cheers.
windykites
mormak, if you put a wind turbine on the car, it would cause air resistance, so you would lose the power you have generated. How about putting a yacht sail on your car? You could use it most effectively with a tail wind. Perhaps a square rigger would be better for that.