BYD e6 electric car Detroit Auto Show. 01.12.10
Chinese electric car maker BYD Establishes North American headquarters.
Bill Wang, business development manager of BYD Motor Co said the Chinese automaker will open two dealerships this year in Los Angeles.
Chinese automaker BYD opened its North American headquarters in Los Angeles yesterday, I would have to say that the event was a success About 150 people attended, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; BYD chairman Wang Chuan-fu; Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway, a BYD investor; Mayor hometown Shenzhen BYD; Consul General of China; and a host of lesser beings, including journalists, the entrepreneur who remade the building, and three potential candidates for the position of Villaraigosa.
Chinese automaker BYD headquarters opened in North America yesterdayin Los Angeles The city already uses some hybrid vehicles plug-in F3DM BYD Municipal Authority in its fleet of housing.
BYD has had a rocky start in the US market, including a few false starts, so I'm glad something is going well for the Chinese carmaker, which aims to start selling its electric vehicles to consumers here in the US starting next year a successful opening event doesn t ensure success in the market, of course it will depend on actual vehicles one of the BYD e6 electric crossover vehicle the company has been parked in front of the building, located just south of the Los Angeles downtown in an area with several car dealerships This building is not a concession at least not house the administrative and technical staff of BYD.
I had the chance to drive the e6 Last week, not a bad car Certainly the e6 is a little slow compared to a smaller electric vehicles such as the Nissan LEAF But the e6 is 179 53 inches long with weight empty of almost 5060 books The LEAF is 175 inches long with a curb weight of 3,354 lbs.
But this size and vehicle habitability give e6 much use as electric vehicles smaller don t have too, I drove saving mode BYD Business Development Director Bill Wang said me later, he also has a sports setting that improves acceleration but uses the battery more quickly, he said BYD says the e6 can travel more than 180 miles on a single charge with a top speed of about 87 mph.
The interior is bland but acceptable One thing I didn t like was the establishment of the dashboard on the console is in the middle rather than directly behind the steering wheel so the driver must look down and right to see the speed and other critical numbers.
The electric car will be available for fleets later this year in consumer sales will begin in the second quarter of 2012, senior vice president of BYD Stella Li told me in an interview a few months ago.
As for dealers, BYD will open two of them in Los Angeles this year, Bill Wang told a Glendale will and the other in El Monte will also open a concession this year in High Point, North Carolina, the next year, he plans dealers in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Hawaii, Las Vegas and Miami, he said.
Dealers will sell BYD e6 electric crossover and BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid F3DM hybrid Ten currently are part of the housing authority of the city of Los Angeles fleet They also sell BYD solar panels, batteries, stations charging and LED lighting.
In addition, BYD brings its electric buses in the US In fact, one of its electric buses began operating last month shuttling between the lot Hertz Rent-a-Car and the LAX terminals Jack Hidary, world leader EV for the Hertz Corp. was the BYD event in Los Angeles, he said customers like it because it has three doors and is very calm, said Hidary he lived to the expectations so far, the shuttle began operating last month and so far so good, he said Hertz is sharing performance data with BYD.
An electric bus produced in China by BYD Co already serves as shuttle Hertz Rent-a-Car in Los Angeles airport.
Hopefully, it will add several other electric buses at LAX and use electric buses in the country's airports, said Hidary This is the first long-range electric bus to use as well at LAX, he added.
Hertz has chosen to use the bus BYD because of its range of 155 miles per charge, said Hidary criticizing because you have to travel between Lot Hertz and all terminals LAX several times daily Another attraction BYD engineers and staff here in LA so the support is good, he said, there are cost savings it costs 65 percent less to fill the bus with electricity over diesel said Hidary We are always looking to improve our results.
Alysha - According to their statements in your previous article, they should be coming soon with their crash ratings sure to let us know when they do.
I know everyone is skeptical about BYD because they have done so too ambitious declarations and not lived up to them, but then, they have been quietly upgrading quality since e6 some time.
BYD could become the automotive company that puts pressure on the entire industry to put more batteries range in less function, but complete vehicles This could be a good thing for the future of the electric car industry.
I like that there is a little over the back cargo area of the leaf But the central instrument console will be a turn off for shopppers EV.
Chinese electric car maker BYD Establishes North American Headquarters, Chinese electric machine.