Portland Attempts to Woo Chinese Plug-in and Electric Car Maker BYD
Political and business heavyweights are rolling out the green carpet in hopes of convincing a Chinese electric car manufacturer to set up shop in the Portland area.
BYD (Build Your Dreams) is China’s largest battery maker, and moving into the automotive industry. BYD’s first plug-in hybrid planned for the Chinese market will be the F6DM mid-sized sedan in the second half of 2008, and use lithium iron phosphate batteries. Its top speed is expected to be be 100 mph, with a range of 62 miles in all-electric mode and 267 miles total after the gas engine kicks in. A fully electric version called the F6E is planned for 2009. The F6E will be a 5 seater sedan with a top speed of 100 mph, range of 186 miles per charge, and expected battery lifetime of 2,000 cycles, or 373,000 miles.
The company is following this up with the impressive F3DM, which will be smaller, less expensive (selling for around $14,000 in China), and the company claims will have up to a 100 mile range in electric-only mode. The F6DM styling is being compared to a Toyota Camry, while the F3DM (pictured above) is similar to a Corolla.
Currently BYD plans to sell the cars exclusively in China, expanding sales to Europe in 2-3 years. However, Portland is trying to entice the company to bring the cars to the United States.
