BYD Delays Sale of Electric Cars in North-America to 2011
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.29.08
After the Tesla Model S, Here Comes BYD's F3DM...
It was only a couple weeks ago that BYD's F3DM plug-in hybrid went on sale in China. At that time, BYD still said it had plans to "bring the F3DM to the US in 2010", but that has now changed without much in the way of explanations. Read on for more.
Via Reuters:
China's BYD Co (1211.HK) plans to sell its plug-in hybrid cars, the country's first homegrown electric vehicle, in European and U.S. markets in 2011, BYD chairman Wang Chuan Fu told reporters.BYD, which is 10 percent owned by U.S. investor Warren Buffett, originally aimed to sell the hybrid cars abroad in 2010 but Wang would not give any reasons for the delay.
We can probably safely guess that the huge drop in car sales in the US is mainly responsible, and maybe the low oil prices also play a part.
The "glass half full" way to look at this is to think that at least when the US and Europe finally get the BYD F3DM, it will be a more mature version. Hopefully the kinks will have been ironed out...
Via Reuters
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Too bad for the delay. I hope our society gets on with the use of this valuable tool that will help enable us to get out from under our dependence on foreign oil. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon to charge and drive an electric car. The electricity to charge the car could come from solar or wind generated electricity. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. Why don't we use some of the billions in bail out money to bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil? This past year the high cost of fuel so seriously damaged our economy and society that the ripple effects will be felt for years to come. Why not invest in setting up some alternative energy projects on a national basis, create clean cheap electricity, create millions of badly needed new green collar jobs, and get out from under our dependence on foreign oil. What a win -win situation that would be. There is a great new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW by Jeff Wilson. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in alternative energy. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
if you think electric cars are way out there in some futuristic lala land please check out the web site for a company Better Place. http://www.betterplace.com/ they are setting up infrastructures in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland as well as the state of Hawaii to accommodate electric car use. Their site is awesome, you can actually sign an online petition to bring similar projects to you area. Just click on the get involved button in the top right hand side of the pate.
Kinda like hydrogen, electric cars are always just a few years away. The purpose of them is to convince people there is a future for the automobile. In a world of 6 billion people, personal automobiles are just to resource intensive regardless of the fuel.
The industry is desperately hoping that people don't realize that the auto does not have a future. Once people accept the inevitable, we will stop wasting money on roads, bridges and sprawling suburbs and instead invest in high-speed rail, rapid transit, cycling and compact communities where people can walk instead of driving.
Maybe they will change their Toyota corolla design and safety standard by hiring some European and American designers.
Interesting how the unexplained delay corresponds with GM's release of the Chevy Volt. For those that are inclined to conspiracy theories...
A more likely explanation is a need for extra time to pass US safety regulations. There are no Chinese cars sold in the US currently so it makes sense that it would take time to get certification.
@Richard: Electric cars are here and have been here for years, so don't compare them to Hydrogen powered vehicles. I agree with the rest of your statements but offer EV conversions as a way to lessen the resource-intensity of car production.
It will be decades before most towns move towards car-free living. A certain mindset problem can't be changed overnight. Peak Oil might help it along though.
Ron
Two years ago, an African American president seemed impossible. Two years ago everyone was buying SUVs. Two years ago, no one predicted economic collapse and that the auto makers would be on life support. Two years ago no one predicted $4 gas and then the plunge to $2 . Change can happen very fast.
Instead of trying to predict the future by say "It will be decades before most towns move towards car-free living", actually work to create that future. Mindsets can change very fast in a time of change.
More at:
http://everyoneforever.org/blogger/2008/11/future-has-not-happened-yet.html