Cars
BYD Auto F3DM EV: China's Volt Makes it to Detroit, will be Launched in the States by 2011
Along with the E6 fully-electric crossover, China's BYD Auto (which stands for Build Your Dreams) also showcased the F3DM plug-in hybrid sedan at its Detroit Show stand. This is not the first time we've seen the F3DM in the U.S. as the Chinese automaker displayed the car at last year's NAIAS.
Looking a lot like a previous generation Toyota Corolla, the 4,533mm (178.4 inches) long FD3M makes use of a small 1.0-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor for a combined output of 168hp (125kw).
Even though some sites have reported now and in the past that the F3DM's hybrid drivetrain works in the same that the Chevy Volt's does, meaning that the gasoline engine doesn't drive the wheels but charges the battery, BYD Auto's press release clearly points towards a system similar to the one found in the Prius.
"When the vehicle needs more power to accelerate, a gasoline engine and an electric motor drive the wheels together to provide greater output and torque," BYD Auto states in the F3DM's press release.
BYD claims that the plug-in hybrid sedan can drive up to 100km or 62 miles on electricity and 580km or 360 miles on a single battery charge and a full tank of gasoline.
The Chinese maker says that the F3DM's battery pack can be charged to 50% power via quick charge in 10 minutes, and 100% power via household charge in seven hours.
The vehicle also features a solar panel sunroof, which can be used to channel power to the battery pack.
According to BYD, the F3DM can sprint from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 10.5 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 150 km/h or 93mph.
The plug-in hybrid sedan recently went on sale in China for the U.S. equivalent of around $22,000. The company said that it plans to sell the F3DM in the States by 2011.
-
Chevy Volt Rated At 93mpg On Electric, 60mpg In Hybrid Mode And 37mpg On Gasoline
The official fuel economy numbers for GM's long-awaited Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid are in. Given that the Volt uses two energy sources, electricity from the grid, and gasoline from the pump, with the mix depending on how far you drive and how...
-
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Covers 12 Miles / 20km In All-electric Mode, Emits Less Than 60g/km Co2
As we're getting closer to the Frankfurt motor show, automakers are letting out new details on their vehicle introductions. This time it's Toyota that has released information on new its Prius plug-in hybrid that will be leased to selected fleet...
-
New Buick Suv For 2010, Plug-in Hybrid Version Debuts In 2011
General Motors will introduce a new five-passenger crossover to Buick's range in late 2010 that will be offered with a family of direct-injected gasoline engines followed in 2011 by a plug-in hybrid model that is expected to be the first mass produced...
-
Detroit 2008: China’s Byd Shows F6dm Electric-hybrid Sedan
BYD, one of the five Chinese companies that made it to Detroit this year, showed off four models at its stand including the F6 large sedan with BYD’s DM (dual mode) electric hybrid system, a technology that the company claims will revolutionise...
-
Chevrolet Says The Volt Is A 230mpg Car
This just in: General Motors hypothesizes, with the help of "a draft EPA federal fuel economy methodology for labeling for plug-in electric vehicles", the Chevrolet Volt of 2011 will sip just one gallon of gasoline for every 230 miles of city driving....
Cars