Chinese automaker to bring battery car to U.S. in 2010

Posted By on December 15, 2008

EV from BYD in ChinaAccording to a WSJ article in Monday’s paper, the Chinese company BYD is demonstrating their new F3DM which runs off batteries today. This “EV” can be charged from a regular electrical outlet and will be marketed to cab operators and other potential fleet customers. They plan to have their all-electric vehicle in showrooms in China by the end of the month according to the companies executives. Interestingly they also plan sell the car in the U.S. — and as early as the second half of 2010.

The car is primarily electric but is a “real car-sized”  vehicle. The BYD’s  F3DM also has a small gasoline engine that is used to generate electricity if the battery runs dry, strictly for recharging. Some people question whether the leap to electric cars makes sense in China, in part because most of China’s electricity comes from “dirty” coal-burning power plants.

According to the article, China’s government intends to support the electric vehicle push through research-and-development subsidies for auto makers and tax breaks and other incentives for consumers. They also plan to build battery-charge stations and other public infrastructure but haven’t commented on how much the Chinese government will spend.

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