Chinese automaker partners with Uber to move into the US market
I've seen my fair share of eccentric things in my northwest Chicago neighborhood hipster equivalent of Logan Square Chicago in Williamsburg, Brooklyn impromptu February 1 m marching bands, noon anonymous drive-by eggings and vehicle fires that firefighters never come off.
One of the strangest is my meeting with the BYD e6, a relatively large electric crossover made in China reported with a range up to 186 miles hasn t This vehicle appeared at a US trade show for almost two years and it has not really been mentioned by the automotive media until now I not only see the e6 in a small nondescript purveyor of eccentric electric vehicles, but I could drive it too.
For those rust on Chinese cars, BYD e6 has been one of the few vehicles that have and still be a good chance to come to the States short BYD to build your dreams is one of the most important manufacturers Car private management of China, it is also one of the largest rechargeable battery suppliers.
The e6 Green Wheels, a provider Electric- and hybrid vehicles and maintenance facilities, is part of the strategy to test BYD US waters This is probably the only one in the country, said Doug Snower, owner of Green Wheels the e6 has traveled; he had just returned from a Berkshire Hathaway meeting in Omaha, Neb Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett bought a nearly 10 BYD shares in 2009 based on strong prospects do the business.
One thing the e6 has going for it is sized at 179 5 inches long and 71 7 inches wide, the e6 is the same size as 2013 Honda CR-V, making it substantially larger than either the Nissan Leaf or Ford Focus electric also it has a higher ride height, and there is plenty of room for legs and knees in the rear seats, as well.
I was impressed with the interior of the Chinese car materials are comparable to those found in a Toyota Corolla or Kia Forte, which is to say that it was okay, but didn t interior styling and ergonomics standout m 'recalled the Toyota Prius v, though the e6 It came out first Sá large digital display for image backup camera Snower told me the model I tested had leather upholstery features, electric mirrors Folding and passenger side camera that is on basic models sold here.
The e6 in the driving experience was rough around the edges, but that's somewhat understandable because the test car was heavily used Snower and eat green operation Wheels Chickerneo Carey said it hadn t really been maintained in nearly a year all service manuals are in Chinese, Chickerneo said a word, braking and management estimated that gross uneven and its dead zone in the middle of the brake pedal travel is particularly annoying hopefully these doubts without adjustment problems won t make the retail model.
During the hourlong test drive, which included about 14 miles from city travel and a short stretch of road, the e6 felt isolated and well planted; it absorbs shocks and inconsistencies well as the Nissan Leaf, the BYD e6 was a strong initial pickup, but the overall acceleration felt slower than the Nissan e6 tops out at 87 mph; the sheet can reach about 90 mph.
The electric powertrain made some strange noises, including a chill during its initial launch which was preceded by the familiar hum of oscillation of the electric motor As I accelerated, there was another secondary vibration and noise hum the engine bay If I did not know better, I would have thought it was a generator on board the gasoline kicks in as it does on the Chevrolet Volt I have no explanation for the noises it could have been a strong air conditioning compressor, but it is possible, the e6 has some of the same editor Joe Wiesenfelder issues mentioned in his Fisker Karma. examination
The BYD e6 has a rather unique battery chemistry known as the iron phosphate lithium name Chemistry is supposed to be more environmentally friendly and the battery experiences less decay of capacity on the life of the vehicle a Nissan leaf could lose up to 30 of its capacity after 10 years of driving, for example, the huge battery e6 61 4 kilowatt-hour is about 2 to 5 times as large as the battery of the sheet and has a range 186 mile reported Snower said he's led the BYD over 150 miles on a single charge battery is also supposed to be more stable in accidents, although the automaker recently examination after a taxi BYD e6 exploded in a high speed accident in China according to the New York Times.
The Chinese-spec model can be charged by a power of 100 kilowatts load box, outlet 360 volts direct current and an output AC current of 300 amps, which can charge the large battery completely in less than 40 minutes, the only problem according BYD charger is it Sá Chinese standard that is not used in the United States; Snower must load the template to a charging cabinet BYD it installed in his brother's house, he told me that BYD is working to SAE charging flexibility consistent with the e6.
The BYD e6 was supposed to go on sale in the earlier this year U S; Now the automaker said sales of the fleet will start by the end of the year with retail sales occurring even further, according to the New York Times.
The e6 sells about 58,000 in China Snower expects a price of about 50,000 here, which makes the e6 hard sell full-size 2012 Tesla Model S that comes is for sale, is significantly greater than the BYD e6, can carry up to seven people and is approximately 140 miles range with the smaller battery It has a starting price of 57400.
Again, the e6 is marketed as a taxi and hire car in his home country will be probably peddled the same way here.
The BYD e6 high projected range of versatility and probably will be one of the first tradable Chinese cars sold in the U S viably although customers aren t retail buyers at the moment.
Coming to America Chinese BYD e6, to come, Chinese.